Oak Park Heights council extends emergency to repair 450-foot water main break

Oak Park Heights City Council on April 15 approved a resolution extending a state of emergency to allow expedited repairs after a water main break near 6400 Lookout Trail that staff said involves about 450 feet of pipe and affects nine households.

Jacob (staff member) told the council the city is “proceeding, as you know, with a cured-in-place pipe to fix the break” and that the pipe was originally constructed in 1976. He said the mayor signed an initial emergency declaration April 14, 2025, and that state statute limits such a declaration to three days, so the resolution would extend the emergency “throughout the life of the repair,” terminating once the main is fully repaired and restored.

Jacob said the city has put a repair schedule in place and has started providing temporary water service to affected residents. “There’s nine impacted residents during this time that the repair is occurring,” he said. He also described the repair area as unique, with the line traversing backyard easements and spanning roughly 450 feet.

Staff warned the council that repair work could push the project above the $175,000 bidding threshold and noted limited vendor availability for the specific cured-in-place method; staff said they contacted two companies and were able to obtain only one written quote, a point they said they would review with the city attorney to avoid running afoul of procurement statutes.

Council members asked about property disruption and traffic impacts. Andy (staff member) said the project will require two excavation sites: one in the street on Peon Avenue, which will be closed during the excavation, and another at 6400 Lookout Trail on property owned by David Bald within an easement. Andy estimated the on-site excavation and installation work would last about a week and confirmed staff would coordinate with homeowners about access and restoration.

A council member moved to approve the resolution; the motion was seconded by Council Member Runk and Council Member Johnson as recorded in the meeting. In roll-call, Council Member Johnson, Council Member Runk and Mayor McCumber voted yes; no noes or abstentions were recorded and the resolution passed. The transcript does not specify the name of the member who originally moved the resolution.

The council then moved to adjourn; the motion (recorded as moved by Council Member Johnson and seconded by a council member recorded as “Ron” in the transcript) passed and the meeting ended. Staff told the council they hope to complete repairs by the end of the month and that temporary water service is in place while work proceeds.