Bolten & Menk was approved to move forward with design and oversight of rehabilitating the city’s wastewater treatment facility, which is past its lifespan being over 20 years old.
The unanimous decision by city council, and recommended by the public works advisory board, calls for an upfront fee $1,145,550 in engineering fees to oversee the project. Estimated costs for the total rehabilitation, including engineering, legal, and administration, is estimated between $13.8 to $18 million dollars.
“The big question is, ‘Where’s the dollars going to come?’ Whatever dollars we have have come through the water and sewer rates. It won’t come through property taxes,” said Mayor Thomas Eisert.
As far as major costs of the project, funding from the grants will be used as it becomes available to them. Gunner Kern, water/wastewater project manager for Bolten & Menk, said that cities can spend many years on the list to receive funding but eventually get it, and that these projects will be spread out over time as funding is available. What is not paid for by grants would be paid for by the city’s sewer and water fund.
The work on the facility should...
Montgomery okays wastewater treatment facility refurbishment
By:
Jarrod Schoenecker, editor@montgomerymnnews.com