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Lake Benton council accepts facility plan, applies for state loans to replace Highway 75 utilities
Summary
The Lake Benton City Council accepted a facilities plan for sewer and water replacement along Highway 75/Fremont Street, adopted a resolution to submit the plan to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and approved applications to PFA programs to help fund an estimated $1.97 million project.
The Lake Benton City Council on March 16 accepted a facilities plan and authorized loan applications to help pay for replacement of aging water and sanitary sewer infrastructure along Highway 75/Fremont Street.
Banner Associates presented the plan at a public hearing, saying the work is needed because existing pipes are undersized, leaking and more than 70 years old. Engineer Scot Leddy told the council the recommended scope includes roughly 2,300 feet of 6-inch PVC watermain with six valves, five fire hydrants with shut-off valves and about 1,700 feet of water service pipe; approximately 2,800 feet of 8-inch PVC sanitary sewer main, nine precast concrete manholes and about 2,300 feet of sewer service pipe; and roughly 60 new sanitary sewer and water service connections.
Banner’s cost projection for the full replacement is $1,965,700. Leddy said the firm’s worst-case estimate, if the city receives no outside funding, would raise the combined water and sewer surcharge by about $31.00 per month for customers.
The council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2026-001 to receive and accept the Facility Plan and directed its submittal to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for review, as required under Minnesota Rules Chapter 7077. Council members then approved two additional resolutions to pursue funding: Resolution No. 2026-002 authorizes application to the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA) Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWRF) for the wastewater portion (estimated loan amount $1,006,492), and Resolution No. 2026-003 authorizes application to the PFA Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF) for the water portion (estimated loan amount $719,608). Jon Olson moved to adopt Resolution 2026-001; Trustee Karen Lichtsinn seconded. The subsequent loan-application resolutions were moved and seconded by council members as recorded; all motions carried.
Banner listed additional funding sources under consideration, including the Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF) and USDA Rural Development programs. Leddy said preliminary engineering for the current plan began in 2024 and that Banner traces earlier related work to 2006; Banner also reported that the PFA application process has begun. The firm outlined a project schedule that calls for bidding in September 2026, construction starting in spring 2027 and project completion in fall 2027, subject to funding and permitting.
The council’s votes do not themselves secure funding; the actions authorize the city to apply and to submit the plan to state reviewers. The council did not record individual roll-call tallies in the minutes; each motion is recorded as “motion carried.”
Next steps listed in the agenda and discussed at the meeting include formal submission of the accepted Facility Plan to the MPCA and continued pursuit of state and federal funding; if the MPCA/PFA process and bids proceed on the stated timeline, work would be advertised for bid in September 2026 and constructed in 2027.
