The department of engineering services will spend another $64,000 next year to complete phase 4 of the east feeder main replacement project, which has become “an eyesore” along Main Street North.
The department could not complete some work on the storm sewers as part of the project this year, so it needs to carry $30,000 into next year to finish the job, a council report explained. An additional $34,000 has been incorporated into the 2021 storm sewer budget.
During its Dec. 16 budget deliberation meeting, city council voted unanimously to approve the carry forward of $30,000.
“I think everybody knows the area we’re talking about. I call it the eyesore on Main Street by the golf course,” said city manager Jim Puffalt. “This is work to correct that issue and get rid of the fence and all the rest that comes with it.”
City hall hired Associated Engineering (AE) in May as a consultant on phase 4 of the east feeder main replacement project, a council report explained. The company was also asked to create a detailed design and supervise construction to address the extensive erosion on the east-side ditch adjacent to the northbound lane of Main Street North near the Hillcrest Golf Course.
Given the status of the erosion, the proximity to the existing feeder main replacement project and the necessity to remediate this failure, Puffalt authorized this additional work.
Based on how close the erosion was to the pipeline’s tie-in point, the engineering department and AE thought it was ideal to complete all underground work before fully reinstating the above-ground topography, the council report said.
However, the project ran into many problems. This included changing how the pipe was installed, from an open-cut trench using PVC pipe to a trenchless method using HDPE pipe via horizontal directional drilling, to minimize the disturbance on the area golf courses.
The availability of major components such as pipes and fittings also required additional lead time, while the effect of the pandemic affected construction as well, which resulted in the deferral of the commissioning of the project into January.
The next 2021 budget meeting is Monday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m.
