City Commissioners rejected a single bid for a lift station project due to high costs during their July 1 meeting.

The project is to replace a single variable frequency drive with three VFDs, electrical components and devices, a sluice gate and one exterior door at Lift Station 15.

The lift station was constructed in 1976 and is located south of 10th Avenue Southwest and operates as the sanitary sewer force main station from the Sun River gravity fed crossing to 2nd Avenue Southwest.

The lift station is a large conventional station with three pumps and a bar screen on the influent channel.

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In February 2024, commissioners approved a contract with KLJ Engineering to design, facilitate bidding and provide construction phase services for the project.

The city’s 2018 wastewater treatment and collection system facility plan update identified some components of the project as needed improvements to the lift station.

That plan noted the single VFD that rotates between the three pumps, causing inefficiency with minimal redundancy, according to city staff.

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KLJ designed and designated other needed improvements, including interior lighting, interior and exterior electrical components and conduits, mechanical components, such as the sluice gate, and one degraded exterior door, according to staff.

The city owns the lift station property, which is enclosed and fenced off from public access. It’s planned to remain operational throughout the project and delaying the construction has no immediate significant impact to its operation and capacity, according to staff.

City staff and KLJ will adjust and readvertise for bids.

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Once completed, the project is intended to replace dated and inefficient components of the lift station to improve sanitary sewer collection on the southwest side of the city and reinforce efficiency and longevity of the Sun River crossing, according to staff.

The project was advertised in June and the city received a single bid for $1,601,797.16.

The city’s available funding for the project is $800,000.

Staff recommended not awarding the contract and delaying the project due to the budget shortfall and limited contractor interest.