Holts Summit awards bid in sewer project

Alderwoman Sharon Schlueter presents alderman Thomas Durham with a resolution honoring his years of service to the City of Holts Summit.
Alderwoman Sharon Schlueter presents alderman Thomas Durham with a resolution honoring his years of service to the City of Holts Summit.

HOLTS SUMMIT - The Holts Summit Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday evening to award the city's massive wastewater system improvement project to Ryan Construction.

Chad Sayre, from Allstate Consultants, presented the board with recommendations for the project, which included several updates to the budget.

"We've all been working on this for a long time - I think I promised a huge party at the winery whenever this thing was awarded," Sayre joked as he explained how the project's budget has evolved.

The current budget includes a $5,993,233 construction bid from Ryan Construction, an estimated $75,000 in electrical services from Ameren Missouri, $1,262,327.94 in engineering services, $161,038.99 in refinancing, $549,300 for project contingencies and $335,000 for other professional services, including costs associated with a project attorney, financial advisor, construction interest, environmental review and bond council.

On Allstate's recommendation, the city took three line extensions out of the project's budget. The extensions would have added another $149,940 to the project. Sayre argued this cost didn't make much financial sense considering the lines would only serve three customers.

One of the customers not included in this current project - though the city could someday add it to the sewer system - is Shiloh Methodist Church.

"Someday, if Keith (Edwards, Holts Summit sewer department superintendent) needs a summer project or you have local funds, we would be better off to get these done with local money and backing that out of the prevailing-wage-USDA-federal-funding job and do that locally as we see the potential for more customers," Sayre said.

If the city decides to take on these line extensions sometime in the future, much of the prep work is already done - the board discussed simply doing the smallest line on their own.

"To clarify, I'm not saying leave them out forever, right, because you only have three left," Sayre said. "Keith's going to knock off one of them with his crew. And then, ultimately, something might happen out there to make that make more fiscal sense of the council."

Sayre stressed the three lines are not currently a part of the city's sewer system and no promises were made to the public they would be included in the final project plans.

"If they've never been in, then we're not leaving them out," Ward 1 alderman Mike Harvey said.

When a vote was called to award the project to Ryan Construction Co., the mood in the room was light as the resolution passed unanimously.

The city has been trying to move forward on the $8.2 million project for years - the board's decision ensures the city won't miss out on crucial funding from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which is contributing $500,000 to the project. The city included $725,960 from local funds into the budget.