Council approves design task order for expanded county-home lift station project estimated at $10—— million

The Danville Town Council voted to approve Task Order No. 1 to continue design and scoping work on an expanded wastewater project that combines an upgraded county-home lift station, added force main, and interceptor sewer.

Officials said the project grew from its original scope to include additional piping and relocations to align utilities with planned roadways, and that the work will make the site shovel-ready for grant applications. Kent of Banning Engineering told the council the full construction cost is currently "about 10 to 12 million" in preliminary estimates.

Council members and staff described several drivers for the expanded scope: repeated pump failures at the lift station, aging brick and clay lines, rerouting needed near the jail and courthouse area, and capacity demands driven by recent housing approvals on the east side of town. Staff emphasized that design and land-acquisition work make projects more competitive for federal and state funding.

Mr. Loftton said the town has already paid for roughly 30% of preliminary design and that the new task order is intended to finalize design and clarify land- and easement needs. He and Kent explained that combining several previously separate projects into one reduces duplication and better aligns improvements to future roadways.

The council approved the task order on a motion by Mr. Irby, seconded by Mr. Chadam; the motion carried as recorded.

The council did not adopt construction funding at the meeting; staff said final construction-cost estimates will follow completion of the design phase and that having a shovel-ready project will help the town pursue SRF and other grant opportunities.

Next steps: complete the design scope under Task Order No. 1 and return to council with refined cost estimates and proposed funding strategies.