Council approves Melrose Avenue design amendment and utility agreements as costs rise

The Iowa City Council voted unanimously to authorize a design-fee amendment and several utility and telecommunications agreements to advance the Melrose Avenue Complete Streets project, a reconstruction of the roadway and associated utilities.

The city’s project engineer said the addition of full roadway reconstruction, storm-sewer work and water-main relocations expanded the scope and required an extra $137,000 in design fees, bringing the total design fee to $312,000. “The additional design fee is an additional $137,000, which brings the design total to $312,000,” the engineer said, noting the new construction estimate is $2,500,000, up from the 2017 estimate of $1,685,000.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said the scope change aims to deliver a longer-lasting roadway rather than piecemeal repairs, and that delaying work would likely raise costs further. The engineer told the council there is approximately $1.4 million in initial funding for the project, and staff said some increased costs were anticipated in the city’s capital-improvement planning.

The council approved resolution 26-49 to permit a contract amendment with the project’s design firm. During the same meeting the council also approved a series of memoranda of agreement to coordinate overhead-to-underground utility work and cost sharing with private providers: resolutions approving agreements with several telecom companies and providers (listed in the packet) carried on voice or roll-call votes.

A detailed cost element discussed during the meeting involved MidAmerican Energy. Staff said MidAmerican’s gross cost estimate to go underground for its Melrose work was about $518,000, with an overhead-credit reduction of roughly $190,000 and a joint-trench credit of about $83,000. After credits and shared trench costs, staff said the city’s net remaining obligation for MidAmerican’s undergrounding work would be about $245,000, to be invoiced when MidAmerican completes its work.

The project team also brought contract administration items before the council. The council approved smaller construction administrative items including a $6,694.94 pay application for tree removal and a $68,775 pay application for clearing, grubbing and installed items related to site preparation. A small change order to add sub-drain piping at three locations (totaling $500) was approved on voice vote.

Design and aesthetics: Council members reviewed retaining-wall options and finish choices for garden and property-line walls. Staff presented two recommended retaining-wall products (examples from Keystone and Rockwood) and discussed staining and mock-up procedures; the engineer said the DOT requires multiple acceptable product options in the bid documents so the contractor can select one during procurement. On lighting, staff recommended a straight-pole fixture that meets Buy America/Build America requirements and suggested a 2,700-Kelvin color as a community preference; the council agreed not to add banner arms at this time but left the option for future installation.

Interagency coordination: Staff reported that Iowa City Water has a separate, already-bid water-main project that overlaps the Melrose corridor. That work will require temporary shutdowns during rerouting and will affect how the Melrose work is staged. The council approved resolution 26-55 to authorize coordination and to accept plans, specifications and estimates needed for that shared work.

Next steps: With the design amendment and interagency agreements approved, staff said bidding and final procurement steps will follow, with construction already underway in portions of the corridor. Officials cautioned that existing underground utilities encountered during excavation may continue to slow some operations and that certain MidAmerican invoices will arrive after final verification of completed work.