Calumet City to advertise 2023 bond-funded sewer and stormwater projects; bids expected next week

Calumet City officials said Aug. 28 they will advertise bids next week for a sewer and stormwater capital-plan project funded in part by the city's 2023 bond, a step intended to identify and repair damaged sewers and advance several pump-station and basin projects.

The City engineer told the council the program will begin with cleaning and televising about 35 miles of sewer to develop a project planning report and identify point repairs, lining opportunities and locations that require immediate work. "That project should be on the street next week," the City engineer said.

The work will be phased: the first round targets the northern part of the city and will affect Wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and part of Ward 7; the second round will cover the southern portion of the city and is expected to follow several months later. The engineer said trucks could be on the street within 60 to 90 days of a funding award and that the televised data will be used to seek construction funding.

The engineer described several major stormwater elements under design, including Yates Ponds in the northwest, a Superior Basin in the north-center of the city with an estimated construction cost of approximately $5 million to $6 million, Green Bay and Lincoln pump stations, the Shirley pump station and upgrades tied to the combined-sewer-overflow pump station at State Street. The city is pursuing funds from FEMA, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the engineer said.

City staff also said the council approved an intergovernmental agreement for three additional green-alley projects; those alleys are expected to detain nearly one million gallons of stormwater collectively and are scheduled for construction in late winter with work starting in mid-spring.

Aldermen asked for geographic and funding detail. The City engineer said project planning is being advanced to a pre-final level to avoid rework if a specific funder requires additional bid provisions. "We're trying to be smart about this so that way we can have these projects out on the street within 60 to 90 days of them giving us the award," the City engineer said.

Council members asked whether county or other external programs could supplement the bond funds; the engineer said Cook County's Build Up Cook program will replace fire hydrants in multiple wards and that the city is coordinating on funding sources. The engineer also noted that some stretches of Dalton and State Street fall under the jurisdiction of the village of Burnham and would require an intergovernmental agreement for joint paving work.

The city plans to provide a written informational update at a future council meeting listing where projects are in design, their tentative funding sources and next steps.

The council did not take a separate vote on designating construction awards at the Aug. 28 meeting; staff described planned advertising and funding work and were asked to return with further documentation.