Philomath accepts $2.65 million legislative award for North 19th Street sewer project

The Philomath City Council unanimously approved Resolution 26-13 on May 11, accepting a legislative award of $2,650,000 in Oregon Lottery revenue bond proceeds for the North 19th Street Sewer Infrastructure for Housing Production Project.

City Manager Chris told council the intake forms must be submitted quickly but actual bond sale and construction scheduling are later in the timeline: the bonds are not expected to be sold until spring, engineering will proceed through the coming year and construction procurement is anticipated for 2028. “We’re not putting anything in the budget until next year…we’ll do the engineering through the fall and winter and be ready to go out with an RFP for construction in 2028,” the city manager said.

Why it matters: the award provides capital funding for sewer infrastructure tied to housing production goals and will support engineering and later construction phases. The resolution authorizes the city manager to sign and submit all necessary acceptance documents to secure the proceeds and is intended to preserve the opportunity while project scheduling and budgeting continue.

Council moved and seconded the resolution and approved it by voice vote. City staff said they will return with engineering schedules and budgetary details in subsequent months as the award is processed.

What happens next: staff will submit required acceptance forms to the state and proceed through engineering and procurement steps over the next two years per the project schedule.