Nowthen council approves bidding for 2026 road overlay, schedules assessment hearing

The Nowthen City Council voted to approve plans and specifications and to advertise for bids on the 2026 road overlay project, which includes multiple neighborhood streets and a Jasper Street alternate.

City engineer Shane told the council the overlay scope covers Iman Street, 22nd Avenue, Bos Street, 122nd Circle, Eaton Street, 229th Argon, Waco, 215th Street and 218th Avenue, and proposed Jasper Street as an alternate bid to pursue lower unit prices. He said the overlay estimate remains about $393,700, patching estimates were lowered from $128,000 to $81,710 after plan refinements, Jasper patching is roughly $43,000, and the total estimated construction cost is about $518,500.

Shane said recent market movement on bituminous materials could reduce bids by roughly 16%, possibly bringing final costs closer to budgeted figures. Council members pressed for clarity on assessment math: staff explained the assessment process uses feasibility estimates for assessments and that final bid savings, if any, are typically passed back to property owners after project completion.

Council moved and approved the resolution authorizing advertisement of the plans and specifications; the city will publish the bid advertisement and open bids on May 15. Council also approved a separate resolution setting the public assessment hearing for June 2.

What happens next: the city will advertise the project, open bids May 15, and hold an assessment hearing on June 2 before any assessment is finalized. If bids are lower than estimates, staff said savings would be reconciled after project closeout.