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Colfax approves additional $15,000 for $234,000 Park Drive project

BID OPENING SCHEDULED OCTOBER 3

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — Instead of a single water line for the Park Drive project, the Colfax Village Board has approved installing an additional water line at an estimated cost of $15,000, bringing the total project cost to around $250,000.

The Colfax Village Board approved adding the second water line at the September 10 meeting.

Rand Bates, public works director, suggested adding the second water line that would run parallel to the first to provide additional water pressure at the fire hydrant on the south side of the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center’s building project.

With only one water line along Park Drive, if the fire hydrant were needed, only one hydrant would have water pressure. The second hydrant on the south side would be “starved” for water or would run out of water in a short time, Bates said.

“This would let you feed water from both sides,” he said.

Lisa Fleming, a project manager with Ayres Associates, noted that only one water line is common along city streets and that it is common for fire hydrants down the line to be starved of water when one hydrant is in use.

Several village board members noted that if there were ever a fire at Colfax Health and Rehab’s new facility, it might be critical to be able to fight it from both ends of the building.

“What we have to ask is — is it worth $15,000 for a loop for additional fire suppression so we do not starve the first hydrant?” asked Gary Stene, village president.

“I would support the additional cost,” he said.

Fleming said the village board should consider it in terms of a future investment and what benefit it might bring to the community.

If more development occurred in the area and Park Drive needed to be extended, the additional water line could be added at that point, she said.

Mark Halpin, village trustee, pointed out that the price for the second water line would in all likelihood be much higher in the future.

“It will not be the same price in ten or 25 years from now,” he said.

On a vote of four in favor and one against, the Colfax Village Board approved incorporating the dual line as part of the Park Drive project.

Village Trustee Richard Johnson voted against the motion. Stene and Village Trustees Halpin, Chris Olson, and Beverly Schauer voted in favor of the motion.

Village Trustee Susan Olson was absent from the meeting.

Following Tina Bradford’s resignation, one trustee position is open on the village board.

Park Drive

The Park Drive project will extend the street in the area of the Colfax Health and Rehab building project the minimum that will be required to provide access to the CHRC project’s driveway, Fleming said.

In addition to water mains, the Park Drive project will include sewer laterals.

Plastic pipe will be used for the water mains and sewer laterals, which will save the village $4,000 to $5,000 on the cost of the project, Fleming said.

The total estimated project cost without the dual water line is $234,178.

The additional water line will cost an estimated $15,000 to $17,000, Fleming said.

Underground piping and the gravel street will be installed this fall, she said.

An additional water main loop and paving the road can be listed as an alternate bid with construction next spring, Fleming said.

Bids

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved a motion to authorize Ayres Associates to advertise for bids for the Park Drive project.

The bid opening is scheduled October 3 at 10 a.m. in the administrator clerk-treasurer’s office.

The Colfax Village Board will consider awarding the bid at the October 8 village board meeting.