Water main, sewer extension bids above engineer’s estimates

    Two big infrastructure projects were put on hold Monday for further study of the bids.
    The city wants to build a water main along East 12th Street from Shorthorn east to Highway 61, completing a loop in the system.
    While city officials tried to bid the water main project by itself earlier this year, only one bid was received and it was significantly higher than expected.
    That lone bid was rejected.
    As Dennis Kunnemann’s work on a housing development project just off 12th Street progressed, a sewer extension project to his WellPark property is in the plans.
    The two projects were combined to see if more bids would result with more work for the contractor.
    However, though three bids were received on Monday and considered at the council’s meeting that night, council members voted to table action for further study.
    Both bids, which are packaged separately, came in higher than the engineer’s estimates. Midlands Contracting, Inc. of Kearney submitted the low bid on both projects.
    Chris Miller of Miller & Associates, the city’s engineer, visited with the council and mayor by Zoom Monday night.
    While significantly lower than the lone bid this spring, Miller noted the water main bid of $327,265 was 32% higher than the engineer’s probable construction cost estimate.
    For Kunnemann’s sewer extension project, Midlands’ $254,748 bid was 71% above the engineer’s estimate.
    Kunnemann was at Monday’s meeting and said he had several questions on the project that he wanted to address with Miller.
    While the option was on the table Monday to accept the water main bid only, the council chose to table both bids until their Nov. 7 meeting.
    The bids are good for 30 days, or Nov. 12, which is after that meeting.
    In other business, the council authorized, through a resolution, the closing of Broadway from 12th to 2nd Street for the  Chamber of Commerce lighted Christmas parade on Nov. 26.
    While street signs identify it as West 2nd Street, a state roads surveyor on the Champion Highway project discovered a plat they were using identified it as Railroad Street.
    Public Works Supt. Pat Davison said sometime after 1966 east-west streets in Imperial changed from names to numbers, but that two block street section apparently didn’t get changed in the records.
    The council passed a resolution Monday renaming the street West 2nd Street.
    An agreement with Steve Smith was approved that allows the Imperial welcome sign at the east edge of the city to sit on his property at a cost of $10 for the first 10 years. After that, annual renewals will be considered.
    After some changes the city requested, a Generator Interconnection Agreement was approved with Sandhills Energy Municipal Solar.
    The solar company has been in negotiations with the city to build a solar farm near the sewer ponds. Solar energy generated there would connect with the city’s electrical system, the reason for the agreement.
    The council, mayor, City Attorney Josh Wendell and Clerk/Administrator Jo Leyland met in closed session on the Leibhart litigation. The city’s attorney for this case, David Dudley, met with them via Zoom during the closed 45-minute session.
Department reports
    Tyler Pribbeno, the city’s Community Development Director, reported there has been a lot of interest in the Cornerstone property and residential lots in Heather Estates the last few weeks.
    Police Chief Ryan Wisnieski said their office has been very busy as of late. Officer Chris Bustillos will leave this week for training with his K9 partner Jaco.
    Public Works Supt. Pat Davison said installation of automatic meter reading equipment is getting closer. He expected personnel with the company to be here this week.