Consultant: Levee project moves into design and procurement after federal delay; extension granted to 2028

A Cedakog representative told Williamsport City Council on March 5 that the Williamsport Levee Improvement Project is active and moving into design and procurement after a multiyear delay tied to federal grant paperwork.

The presenter said the total project is about $10.75 million, with an $8 million FEMA award covering the bulk of the cost and a 25% ($2 million) advance requested against the FEMA award. "If that's not approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, your residents lose the protection and thus their flood insurance will go higher," the Cedakog representative said, explaining the federal approvals at stake.

Why the work did not start earlier was a recurring question from council. The presenter said the city could not legally begin reimbursable work until it had a signed grant agreement from Puma; the city did not receive the signed contract until November 2025. "They were following the guidance of Puma… they were not allowed to spend money on this project until they had a signed grant agreement," the presenter said.

Procurement and project teams

Staff described the procurement steps completed so far: a request for qualifications (RFQ) for design work and a request for proposals (RFP) for construction oversight were issued in mid-January, with submissions due February 18. The city and Cedakog reported unanimous scoring results and recommended AECOM for engineering/analysis work and GPI for construction inspection and oversight.

Bill Scott, the city engineer who led the procurement package, presented the two recommendations and said both selections followed the advertised process. A resolution to appoint AECOM as design engineer and to award inspection/administration work to GPI was on the council agenda for approval.

Scope, schedule and budget questions

Councilmembers asked how much of the total levee work the current funding will cover and which major items remain. Staff said the FEMA-funded package is expected to cover the work required by the Army Corps of Engineers to keep the levee certified; some council members asked for a clear percentage breakdown, and staff committed to follow up with a written estimate.

Specific items discussed included electrical upgrades and roof replacements at multiple pump stations. The presenter cited an estimate of roughly $2.1 million for pump-station roof work and described relief wells, cross-pipe work and two additional pump-station projects as among the highest-priority items in the program.

Next steps

The presenter said the project team started biweekly meetings in December and is budgeting a 24-month schedule that currently targets completion in April 2028. Staff also said they will provide monthly progress reports to council and to state and federal legislators and will circulate procurement and contract documents as they are finalized.

The council approved related procurement and inspection contracts on the agenda that followed the presentation.