Council approves sewer transition main on 11th Street over mayor’s objections

Council voted July 9 to install a sewer transition main on 11th Street and awarded the bid to Great Basin Engineering. City Manager Richard Braithwaite told the council two bids were under $100,000 and that the project was budgeted; he recommended awarding the bid while a crew was in town to keep costs down. The motion passed with Mayor Dana Holbrook opposing the award.

Public Works Director Joe Massa and Dowl Engineering said the transition pipe would relieve a suspected downstream bottleneck that has caused chronic sewer backups, sometimes visible as overflows from clean-out pipes in yards. Massa described the issue as a pressurized system and said the pipe would "provide a crucial escape path for the pressurized flow"; he warned that increased flow from a new Loves development would likely make severe overflows more frequent. Mayor Holbrook said he opposed spending about $100,000 without more investigation and suggested saving funds for a long-term $3 million main-line replacement.

Councilmember Denise Taylor moved to award the contract; Lyndsie Whigham seconded. The council approved the motion 3–1, with Holbrook voting no. Staff noted a statute/resolution-based liability framework and that the city's insurance carrier handles claim determinations; staff will direct the contractor to begin work according to the agreed schedule.