Commissioners rejected a contract during their May 7 meeting due to lack of bids and budget shortfall.
The city received a single bid for $3,234,878.80 from Geranios Enterprises for the fourth phase of southwest side water main replacement project.
The project would replace eight blocks of aging water mains on the southwest side totalling about 3,500 lineal feet.
Those water mains are undersized and failing with increasing frequency, with water main breaks causing damage to property and roadways while disrupting water service in the area.
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The water mains to be replaced in this phase are along 5th Avenue Southwest including a “severely undersized” 4-inch cast iron main installed in 1964, along with mains along 13th and 14th Streets Southwest that were installed in 1946 and 1992, respectively.
The breaks are primarily due to corrosive soils, age and type of pipe material used, according to public works staff.
The project was tentatively scheduled to begin July 15, but rebidding the project will likely push the project to August 2025, according to city staff.
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The project was advertised in the spring and there were four plan holders, but only one bid was submitted for $3,234,878.80, over the engineer’s estimate of $2,171,790, which was based on recent water main replacement projects that were similar in size and scope.
This project is in an area with a high groundwater table, which the engineer’s estimate accounted for the necessary dewatering operations, according to staff.
The project was identified in the public works capital improvement plan.
