Grand Forks updates major infrastructure: $86M wastewater expansion and police building progress; BCI agents to colocate

City staff and contractors updated the council on two major infrastructure projects at the March 2 meeting.

Madison Elberts of PKG reported the nearly $86 million wastewater treatment plant expansion is about 75% complete. PKG has worked roughly 115,000 man-hours on the project and has had no lost-time incidents, Elberts said. Near-term milestones include pouring the operating-level deck of the fine-screen facility and utility tie-ins this spring, followed by membrane cassette installation in the fall to begin startup procedures.

The police chief briefed the council on phase 1 of the police department building: framing was about 90% complete, plumbing and electrical roughed in, and the department expects to finish the upstairs phase this summer and begin downstairs work thereafter. The chief also described a new co-location arrangement that places two Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) agents inside the Grand Forks Police Department to assist on investigations of serious crimes against children; those agents completed basic training last November and have already begun collaborative work. “These agents are ... a great force multiplier for the department,” the chief said, and Representative Eric Murphy credited local and state partners for securing the resources, describing it as a joint effort across offices.

Councilors were invited to schedule site tours and staff repeated an emphasis on safety and interagency cooperation as the projects proceed.