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Water and Light Commission authorizes plans to replace aging water main under VFW parking lot
Summary
The East Grand Forks City Water and Light Commission authorized staff to prepare plans and cost estimates to replace about 300 feet of a roughly 50-year-old water main beneath the VFW parking lot; staff said the preliminary estimate (~$135,000) is under the $175,000 bidding threshold and could be added to the VFW site work.
The East Grand Forks City Water and Light Commission voted May 20 to authorize staff to prepare engineering plans and obtain estimates for replacing about 300 feet of aging water main that runs under the VFW parking lot.
A staff presenter told commissioners the cast pipe was installed around 1976 and is approaching 50 years of service. “We’d be looking, for authorization just to proceed with putting together some plans, for that project,” the staff member said, explaining the work could be added to the contractor handling the VFW site work to streamline construction and keep work under one contract.
Staff said their preliminary estimate, prepared for a 12-inch main, was about $135,000. That figure is below the $175,000 threshold mentioned in the meeting, which staff said would affect whether the work needs to be publicly rebid. The staff presentation included options to install an 8-inch main instead of 12 inches to improve flow where the reservoir is being filled.
Commissioners moved and seconded authorization for staff to prepare plans and solicit pricing; the item passed on a roll call vote.
Why it matters: replacing a decades-old main before repaving or regrading the parking area reduces the risk of premature failures after a new surface is installed and can save the city the cost and disruption of cutting into a new parking lot.
Next steps: staff will finish the plans, submit them to the city’s construction engineer for pricing, and return with estimates for commissioners to decide whether to proceed.
