Kalispell City Council to weigh $1.7M sewage infrastructure project

Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to decide whether or not to move forward with a roughly $1.7 million sewage infrastructure project partially funded with federal dollars.

The project encompasses the replacement of concrete pipe and other structures corroded by hydrogen sulfide along the stretch of main leading to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, according to a memo by Deputy Director of Public Works Keith Haskins.

The possible awarding of the bid is part of Council’s consent agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. For more information, including on how to attend and participate remotely, go to https://www.kalispell.com/agendacenter.

NCC Neumann, a Kalispell-based construction company, was the lowest bidder, according to documents filed in City Hall.

The project calls for the replacement of about 360 feet of 36-inch reinforced concrete pipe sewer main, about 312 feet of 54-inch sewer main and 28 feet of 36-inch sewer main as well as a cast-in-place box structure and portions of connecting sewer mains. Work also would include the lining of concrete structures, bypass pumping and dewatering, among other needs. Bids were to wrap in the cost of labor, materials and equipment for the undertaking.

In his memo, Haskins noted that the lowest bid came in $13,972 over the amount allotted for the project in the city’s fiscal year 2024 budget. This was the second time the project was put out to bid, he wrote. The first time, officials received no bids.

“Bidders have had a hard time putting solid numbers to the bypass pumping effort, as this section of main is the last section of sewer main prior to sewage entering the wastewater treatment plant, and therefore the bypass pumps must be capable of bypassing peak hour sewage flows for all of Kalispell and Evergreen of 6,600 [gallons per minute],” he wrote. “Bypass pumping failure carries a lot of risk.”

Other hurdles include the dewatering of the large trench needed for the project. The main is submerged by groundwater depending on the time of year, Haskins wrote.

A final complication is the size of the pipe needed for the work, which is “very large and cumbersome to ship and construct,” he wrote.

But delaying the undertaking could come with other costs, Haskins warned. The $347,957 awarded to the city for the project via the American Rescue Plan Act — signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021 — partially hinged on the timeline for the undertaking.

“Delaying the project carries a risk of losing the funding,” Haskins wrote. “Additionally, ARPA projects must be awarded by the end of the 2024 (calendar year) and built by the end of 2026 (calendar year). Delaying the award now decreases the window of time allotted for award and construction of the project.”

City staff are recommending Council award the $1.7 million bid to NCC Neumann, he wrote.

COUNCIL ALSO is expected to consider annexing and zoning the Meadowlark Trailer Court on Airport Road. The 5.97 acre property is home to 31 mobile homes and a single family home, according to city documents.

The Kalispell Planning Board recommended the move to Council following a Sept. 12 public hearing. No one spoke on the matter other than the applicant, Wayne Perry, Inc.

City staff are recommending the Council follow the Planning Board’s lead.

Ted’s Development LLC is seeking a conditional use permit to allow for the construction of four attached townhouses on the 1700 block of Fifth Ave. E. Staff are recommending Council follow the Planning Board’s recommendation to grant the permit.

City staff are asking Council to give the green light for a public hearing, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 16, on the possibility of the municipality seeking a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing grant. Prior to seeking the grant, the city must make the application available to the public, according to a memo by Jarod Nygren, development services director.

Council also are expected to approve setting a public hearing on a roughly $1 million budget amendment to the fiscal year 2023 budget. The amendment is for documentation purposes only, city staff wrote in a memo.

Lastly, Council will consider a final plat request for phase two of the Begg subdivision, undertaken by Brytech Crossing 1 LLC, on Two Mile Drive. City staff noted in a staff report that all the conditions necessary have been either met or addressed. They are recommending Council approve the final plat.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430.