Council OKs $139,500 design agreement for regional stormwater pond and roadway work

The York City Council approved a letter agreement with engineering firm Olsen (the transcript also spells the firm "Olsson" in places) for professional services to design a regional stormwater detention pond and related roadway infrastructure north of West 25th Street and east of Highway 34. The fee in the agreement is $139,500; the contract also includes a separate time-and-materials allowance not to exceed $2,000 to cover follow-up questions from contractors or potential developers.

City staff described the work as the next step in making the Northwest Industrial Park more marketable by providing shared stormwater infrastructure so individual lots would not need their own detention ponds. James (city staff) explained the purpose is to design the pond and a "stem" or main road to subdivide the lots, extend sanitary and water infrastructure and to loop the water system to improve quality. Jenny Kosal, a representative of Olsen, described scope and schedule: design work could begin promptly and the firm is targeting a fall 2026 bidding timeline, contingent on normal project caveats.

Staff and consultants discussed aesthetics, wetlands mapping and maintenance considerations. They said the likely location for the shared pond is the southwest corner of the site closest to the highway, which would also create a gateway entry to the industrial park. The design deliverables are expected to include the overall pond size, volume per acre, and technical figures that the city could use to calculate usage fees for future lot buyers.

Council members approved the agreement on a motion and second. The motion carried by roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.

Next steps: Olson/Olsson will proceed with detailed design and deliver a package that includes sizing and technical data; staff will use those numbers to inform lot pricing and to plan bidding in fall 2026.