The Carroll City Council awarded contracts Monday for the upcoming pressure zone improvement project in northwest Carroll, and city officials were pleased to see the selected bids come in below their original estimate. Public Works Director Randy Krauel says the project has been split into three separate sections.
The low bid for the distribution system was $1.176 million from McCarthy Trenching, LLC, $1.824 million from Wendler, Inc., for the booster pump station, and $1.485 million from Caldwell Tanks, Inc., for the water tower. When those bids are combined with property acquisition, design, and other connected costs, the estimated total is $5.55 million, approximately $250,000 below the initial projections. Recommended funding includes $2.721 million from the city’s utility funds in Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 and 2026 and $2.829 million in bonds. Ward 3 Councilman Kyle Bauer questioned Krauel and City Manager Aaron Kooiker concerning how this project might further impact water rates, considering the combined 27.4-percent rate hike through FY29 that the council approved in June.
Krauel adds that this project will significantly deplete the city’s utility funds, and the rate increases were not calculated to replenish the balances. However, he notes they arrived at the four-year plan using a higher overall project price. Several council members say they have concerns about change orders, which are always an unknown for projects of this type and scale. Fortunately, Krauel says the only section where there could be significant change orders is underground, which is only a third of the project.
The council voted unanimously to approve the three separate bids. Currently, the project remains on schedule, with projected completion dates of Dec. 31, 2026, for the underground distribution system improvements, and Dec. 31, 2027, for the booster station and additional water tower.
