Council reviews two bids for North Water Main Loop and adopts CIP schedule

City Engineer Andrew Aakre told the Harwood City Council on June 1 that two bids for the North Water Main Loop came in well above the engineer's estimate. He identified the low bid as JR Ferche at $1,046,108 and a second bid from Abbott, Arne and Schwindt at $1,134,000; Aakre said the engineer's estimate was $750,000 and that the city would not award the contract that night while staff evaluate the bids and potential cost-saving measures.

The engineer also presented a planning-level Capital Improvement Plan that lists 17 projects with preliminary cost estimates, including a citywide street study ($35,000), sewer and water main work, street lighting ($3,500,000) and a $2,000,000 estimate for a walk bridge on County 22 over the Sheyenne River. Aakre said the schedule calls for council review and prioritization on July 6 and adoption on Aug. 3.

Why it matters: The North Water Main Loop is intended to improve distribution and system reliability; the bid results imply substantially higher construction costs than anticipated and will affect project prioritization and financing decisions in the CIP.

Council members asked staff to examine alignment changes, potential cost reductions and the presence of drain tiles on affected properties; Aakre said the bid opening followed revisions prompted by a network of drain tiles on the Newman property and that staff worked with the contractor to minimize impacts. The council did not take any formal vote on award, leaving final action to a later meeting.

Next steps: Council will revisit the bids and CIP prioritization at its July 6 meeting and is scheduled to consider formal CIP adoption on Aug. 3.