Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fergus Falls council approves 2025 mill/overlay and sealcoat contracts; members raise lead-service-line concerns
Summary
Council awarded two road maintenance contracts — PI 5381 (mill and overlay) to Mark Lee Asphalt & Paving for $242,913.60 and PI 5382 (sealcoat) to Asphalt Preservation Company for $94,886.78 — and discussed lead service-line inventories and timing for replacements tied to potential mitigation funding.
Fergus Falls — The Fergus Falls City Council voted June 2 to award two contracts for 2025 pavement work and discussed how existing lead service lines could affect project timing and scope.
Staff reported bids opened May 25 for PI 5381 (2025 mill and overlay). Tyson told the council the low bid from Mark Lee Asphalt & Paving was $242,913.60, below the engineer's estimate and under the project budget. Council members asked whether additional streets could be added using budgeted funds; staff said change orders of up to 25% of construction cost can be used to add streets during construction and that the low bid provides some flexibility.
Council members and staff discussed lead service lines potentially present under streets scheduled for work. Tyson said the city is compiling a lead service line inventory and that mitigation funding could become available in the next year or two; council members urged care in planning so newly overlaid roads are not dug up soon after paving if lead replacements are required. Staff said blocks with heavy lead presence could be omitted from this project to avoid wasted expense.
The council also approved PI 5382, a larger sealcoat area of about three miles, with a low bid from Asphalt Preservation Company for $94,886.78. Councilors again discussed lead lines in the project area and the possibility of omitting blocks or using change orders to maximize budget value.
Both resolutions passed by roll call. Councilors requested that staff pull lead-inventories for the targeted segments and return with more precise mapping so the city can minimize rework and coordinate with potential grant funding to replace lead service lines when funding becomes available.
