Carroll City Council Approves Plans For $5.75 Million Pressure Zone Project; Bid Letting Set For Nov. 24

The Carroll City Council approved the plans, specifications, and form of contract for the proposed water pressure improvement project in the northwest parts of town at its meeting earlier this week. City officials hosted the public hearing on the approximately $5.75 million project at Monday’s meeting. Residents in and around the Thomas Addition have noted the persistently low water pressure for years. Public Works Director Randy Krauel says they’ve contracted with JEO Consulting to develop a solution.

The distribution system improvements are estimated at $1.382 million, the booster pump station at $1.691 million, and the water tower at $1.842 million, bringing the estimated construction cost to $4.916 million. Adding the nearly $500,000 for designs, $250,000 for property acquisition, and $70,000 for bond financing, the total cost is projected at $5.734 million. Funding will be sourced through $1.75 million from the Water Utility Fund over two fiscal years, $971,000 in extra funds in the Sewer Utility Fund left over from federal allocations, and a $3.013 million bond. Krauel says everything should be operational in two years’ time.

Engineers estimate average pressure should increase by around 15 psi for homes in the project area once the improvements are finished. Krauel says there is some concern about how existing infrastructure will handle the additional pressure.

The council received one comment during the public hearing from Mark Beardmore, the former city mayor, who questioned the potential of using Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds to reduce the total amount proposed for bonding. City Manager Aaron Kooiker says that would not be feasible because the proposed bond would be paid back through water revenues. Following the public hearing, the council voted 4-0 to approve the plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimated cost for the pressure zone project. Councilors LaVern Dirkx and Jason Atherton were not in attendance at Monday’s meeting.