Roberts council accepts low water-plant bid contingent on federal grant

The Roberts City Council voted June 9 to accept the low bid from Edstroms Construction for the city’s water treatment facility, with conditions that the Department of Commerce award the Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) and that the project be brought within available funding limits. Council President Benjamin Poston presided and Councilmember Edidt Ramirez moved the motion, seconded by Councilmember Casey Burns; the motion passed on a roll call vote with all recorded members voting yes.

Keller Associates representative Jaden Jackson said the bid opening had concluded and that "the lowest bid was from Edstroms Construction in the amount of 54,895,390.0O." Jackson also told the council the city expects to receive an award letter from the Department of Commerce within the next few days and recommended accepting the bid pending that CBDG award and cost reductions to fit the grant. Jackson told the council the bid exceeded the remaining grant funding; later in discussion he characterized the bid as about $4.4 million with remaining grant funds of about $3.8 million, creating a funding gap the city and contractor will seek to close.

Council members framed the vote as a way to preserve the low-bid position while protecting the city from committing funds until the grant is confirmed and the project is scaled. The clerk recorded the roll call as: Kyler Place — aye; Edidt Ramirez — aye; Benjamin Poston — aye; Casey Burns — aye. The council’s motion directs staff and the contractor to work on cost reductions and conditions the contract acceptance on the CBDG award; formal contract execution is contingent on those outcomes.