Council hears about pump-station bid gap and a $3M screw‑press option for wastewater plant

City staff described two wastewater issues that need near‑term attention: a bid shortfall on a grant-funded pump‑station project and a separate, larger modernization option for sludge handling.

Staff said bids for the Hough & Wheeler project, which is portioned as part of a roughly $3 million GLO‑funded contract, came in about $206,000 higher than available grant funds;—staff included that gap in the proposed tax note package to preserve the grant award. David (Speaker 6) told council the project had been recommended decades ago and that the city has secured roughly $2.8 million in grants but the low bid was $3.04 million.

On a separate line, David described an RFQ and feasibility study for a screw‑press dewatering system that would convert sludge to cake and remove liquid on site. He said the turnkey estimate, including engineering and installation, was about $3,000,000 and noted the installation would likely require outside contractors and warranty terms because staff cannot complete the work in house.

Councilors supported adding a $50,000 correction for the Yoakum Lift Station recoat to the tax note to cover an identified shortfall for the recoat project (engineering $74,000; total recoat estimate $220,000). Staff said they will pursue state and other funding opportunities and bring financing options to the council.