Bloomington will spend more than $60 million to build a new water distribution pump station, among other water system upgrades.
The city council on Monday approved an agreement with East Peoria-based River City Construction LLC for improvements to the drinking water system, including construction of a new water distribution station, multiple new storage tanks, a new transmission water main and multiple rehabilitated pumps, tanks and booster stations.
The water system improvements have been multiple years in the making. The city undertook two studies into water improvements in 2020 and 2021, the results of which determined the Division/Enterprise pump stations are located near the city’s original water system built in 1847 and are no longer the most efficient way to transport water across the city.
“Continuing to rely on the existing configuration would also require substantial investment in aging storage facilities and transmission infrastructure,” states a staff report to the city council.
Those pump stations will be converted to booster stations as part of the project that also will remove water infrastructure that runs through the Town of Normal.
Previous water system work included the new water tower at Morris Avenue and Hamilton Road.
Water Director Brett Lueschen considers it a generational investment in the water system that will set the city up well for future population and commercial growth.
“This is actually going to add more storage to our system,” said Lueschen, adding the increased capacity will help with daily demand and if the city ever has another drought or other issue stopping water flow.
Here is what is included in the $60,319,650 construction contract:
- Construction of a new approximately 22.5-million gallon per-day distribution pump station;
- Construction of two new 5 million-gallon ground storage tanks, providing about 10 million gallons of additional ground storage;
- Construction of a new 36-inch transmission water main to improve the movement of finished water through the distribution system;
- Improvements to the existing Fort Jesse pumping and storage facilities;
- Rehabilitation of the existing approximately 400,000-gallon elevated water storage tank;
- Improvements associated with the Division/Enterprise pumping and booster station configuration; and
- Associated site work, yard piping, process piping and equipment, structural, architectural, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, instrumentation, controls, and related improvements
The city set $49 million aside for the project in FY27.
In the project manager’s letter of recommendation to the city, he pointed to increased fuel costs and tariffs as two factors driving up construction costs, specifically the 50% tariff on steel, aluminum and copper, and the 25% tariff on semiconductors.
“Due to some delays and reprioritization of other budgeted items in the Water Fund, a significant amount of funds has been identified to help close the gap between the budgeted and awarded amount,” states a city staff memo.
Council member Sheila Montney questioned whether some of the projects included in this phase could have been split up to result in lower bids from more contractors.
City Manager Jeff Jurgens said the costs are covered under the city’s adjusted water rate structure that was approved in 2023.
Other business
Also Monday, the council approved multiple equipment purchases, and a $110,000 construction contract with PJ Hoerr to build a drone dock on top of the Bloomington Police Department building.
The item was originally included in the council’s consent agenda, which is where multiple votes are taken at once on generally non-controversial issues, like the approval of the last meeting’s minutes.
Council member Mollie Ward pulled the item for discussion. The request was unanimously approved, but Ward said new technology should be discussed publicly.
“[It’s not] because I’m necessarily opposed to it, but do I think we have a duty as a city council to perhaps take a pause when we‘re looking at any item that deals with surveillance cameras and drones,” Ward said. “We owe it to the public, both as stewards of their money and stewards of their trust, to simply take a pause and hear a little more about it and not just let it pass.”
BPD chief Jamal Simington said the department’s docking station is the first of three. The department also is in conversation with the Bloomington-Normal Reclation Department on using some of its property for a docking station.
The $110,000 will be paid from the Drug Enforcement fund in the FY27 budget.
