Council approves appropriation after bids for Park Avenue lift station were negotiated down to about $5.3M

Council approved Appropriation 04/2026 to fund replacement work at the Park Avenue Lift Station after staff described bid results and project necessity.

A petitioner explained the project was included in last year’s budget at $3.0M, bids opened late last year and reached about $6.2M; the city negotiated the apparent low bid down to roughly $5.3M and felt comfortable proceeding. The petitioner said the lift station is deep (about 30 feet), serves areas north of Park Avenue, sits outside city limits in the sanitary district service area, and that the work is largely replacement rather than expansion.

Council asked whether a local contractor would perform the work; the petitioner said the winning bidder is B & T Drainage (Marshall, Illinois), which has previously performed work in the area. Councilmember Nation requested a brief description of the service area the lift station serves; staff replied it handles flows north of Park Avenue up to the district boundary.

Mayor Sackville added broader context, saying the sanitary district faces a multidecade long‑term control plan and "needs about $330,000,000 of projects" over the next 25 years to address systemic sanitary and stormwater work.

The council approved the appropriation by voice vote. The transcript records motion and second and the chair called for ayes and declared the motion passed; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the minutes provided.

Why it matters: The lift station replacement is a capital sanitary project intended to prevent failures and environmental releases; the item also illustrates larger long‑term funding needs for the sanitary district.