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Lake Forest awards Griffith Woodland storm-sewer contract after engineer warns of recurring street flooding
Summary
After hearing that undersized 1970s pipe allows 6–9 inches of flooding in light storms, the Lake Forest City Council approved the low bid for the Griffith Woodland storm sewer project and authorized staff to proceed with spring construction to finish resurfacing before graduation season.
Lake Forest — The City Council approved the low bid for the Griffith Woodland Storm Sewer Improvement Project following an overview from the city’s engineering superintendent that the existing system is undersized and causes repeated street flooding.
Superintendent of Engineering Byron Coots told the council the current pipe dates from the 1970s and “the existing sewer is undersized — it floods 6 to 9 inches even in light storms.” The project, as described by Coots, will replace or add an 18– to 21‑inch storm sewer and resurface the affected stretch of Griffith north toward Rose Terrace; resurfacing was timed to avoid a nearby house still under construction.
City Manager Jason Witka said the work was funded by a two‑year budget approach combining $200,000 from fiscal 2026 and $225,000 from fiscal 2027 for an expected project budget of roughly $425,000. The clerk read the agenda item awarding the low bid to Manaval Construction for $372,150, with a recommended 10% contingency of $37,215. The agenda packet also listed a total project cost of $493,365; the line items read into the record (bid plus 10% contingency) do not arithmetic ally equal that total, a discrepancy the council did not resolve on the floor.
Construction is scheduled to begin during spring break (March 23–24) to minimize traffic impacts, continue through April for the utility work, and conclude with resurfacing in late May so the road is open before high school graduation in June, Coots said.
Council members posed a few clarifying questions about bidding and scheduling; Coots said five bids were received and that Manaval has recent paving experience in town and satisfactory references. The omnibus package that included the award passed on a roll call vote, recorded as eight yays and zero nays.
The council did not set additional conditions in public session. The city manager is authorized to execute the contract and manage the contingency as described in the agenda item.
