Committee backs $884,037 contract to Big Sky Idaho Corporation for Mill River lift station upgrades

The General Services Committee on March 9 recommended that city council approve a construction contract with Big Sky Idaho Corporation for the Mill River lift station upgrades, with a contract amount not to exceed $884,037.

Mike Anderson, the city’s wastewater director, described the work as the second phase of the Mill River project and said it will allow crews to reconfigure inlet piping so flow comes into the lift station from a single direction. That configuration will enable bypass pumping to maintain the station without interrupting service. "This contract is amounting $884,000 and it's basically the entirety of our collection system capital improvement project," Anderson said.

Anderson told the committee bids were solicited "per Idaho code" and that multiple bids were received, with Big Sky submitting the lowest responsive bid. He said the engineer's estimate was in the roughly $1.0 million to $1.2 million range and that engineering and legal had reviewed and cleared the low bid as appropriate.

Budgeted funds for this fiscal year were roughly $900,000 for collection-system capital; Anderson said total project cost including engineering will be about $1.2 million and that staff will return to council later in the year with a budget amendment to cover the difference. He noted available Mill River surcharge funds (about $419,000) plus underspending from the prior year (about $315,000) will be used toward the cost.

A committee member moved to recommend acceptance of Big Sky's bid and approve the construction contract not to exceed $884,037; the motion passed on a committee vote. Anderson said staff will coordinate schedule and financing details as the project moves to construction.