Stowe council approves roughly $5.8M in grants, authorizes bids for local stormwater and waterline work

STOWE — The Stowe City Council on Feb. 26 approved a package of grant agreements and bid authorizations that city officials say will advance several shovel‑ready transportation and utility projects.

At the top of the list, Transportation Engineer Jim McCleary told council members the city has secured an ODOT Local Public Agency grant of $3,600,000 for a roundabout at Fish Creek Road and Stow Road. McCleary said right‑of‑way purchases could begin as early as 2028, with construction targeted in 2030–31, depending on the project phase and schedule.

“Those right‑of‑way purchases could go as early as 2028, and the actual construction would be 2030–31 for the roundabout,” McCleary said.

Council also approved a separate LPA resolution for Fish Creek Road phase 2 resurfacing (design and construction to follow in later years) and a Graham Road connectivity project to add sidewalks and a shared‑use path on the north side of the road. Officials tallied about $5,780,000 in total grant funding across the transportation resolutions presented to the council that evening.

In addition to road projects, the council adopted emergency ordinances authorizing the director of public service to solicit bids for the Homewood Storm Improvement Project and the Echo Road storm improvement project. City engineering staff told the council the Echo Road authorization covers one phase that ties into the Mineral Falls sewer system and can be completed without causing downstream impacts; completing the remaining three Echo Road phases will require downstream channel capacity improvements in neighboring Monroe/ Mineral Falls.

City Engineer Mister Jones said the Echo Road phase being authorized is a “quick‑hit” project that can be built without downstream improvements, while the other phases will depend on capacity work elsewhere.

The council also moved forward a combined procurement approach for Liberty Road, authorizing a single contract that packages waterline replacement and culvert work to attract better pricing from contractors.

Council voted to adopt an ordinance to contract with Drew Zeppelin Sexton (DBA Mapped Out GIS Services) for GIS work in the water department, which city staff said will support EPA compliance work including the lead and copper rule, service‑line inventory and asset management (presented cost ~ $47,000). The council also approved a purchase of a correlator (line‑locator and acoustic device) to support in‑house leak detection, a staff move officials described as cheaper over time than repeatedly contracting out for leak locating.

On capital equipment, the city adopted an ordinance authorizing the purchase of four police vehicles (three 2026 Dodge Durangos and one 2026 Ford Explorer) from Montrose Ford for patrol and administrative use; staff said the purchase came in about $20,000 under budget. Council members asked about disposal and resale; staff said retired vehicles are reused in city programs and eventually auctioned or scrapped.

Finance staff presented Ordinance 2026‑073 to transfer funds from capital to operating for IT subscription and cloud storage costs (estimated up to $55,000) after the city opted for subscription cloud services rather than purchasing servers.

Why it matters: Together the resolutions and ordinances advance multiple capital projects the city says are grant‑driven and shovel‑ready, while the equipment and GIS investments aim to improve compliance and reduce future maintenance costs. Council members praised staff for grant work; staff repeatedly noted some projects remain contingent on downstream work or right‑of‑way timing.

What’s next: Several items were adopted as emergency ordinances and will take effect in accordance with the city’s rules. Staff said grant timelines and design schedules will determine when bid advertisements and right‑of‑way acquisitions begin.