Storm Lake council picks Bolton and Mink to lead water treatment plant engineering

The Storm Lake City Council voted June 1 to move forward with Bolton and Mink as the engineering firm for the city's planned water treatment plant.

In a work session, city staff summarized two proposals the council reviewed: one from AE2S (in partnership with ISG) and one from Bolton and Mink. Council members said Bolton and Mink answered technical questions more directly during interviews and accepted responsibility for problems on prior projects, a factor that influenced several members' scoring.

"They were able to answer more questions related to what I was most concerned with," said a council member, praising Bolton and Mink's willingness to accept responsibility for past issues. Another council member said the scoring matrix favored Bolton and Mink by 29 points.

Staff had provided council members with a draft scoring matrix. After further discussion about roles and partnerships between firms, a council member moved to proceed with Bolton and Mink; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council directed the city manager and staff to advance the project with Bolton and Mink as the primary engineering team.

Next steps identified during the meeting include finalizing contract terms and moving toward design and procurement phases. City staff said additional, more detailed scope and scheduling items will be addressed with the selected firm as the project advances.

The council did not set a separate formal vote tally in the record beyond the motion and voice approval. Staff will bring proposed contract documents and timeline milestones to a future meeting for final authorization.