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The Albert Lea City Council awarded the contract Monday for the first of several projects needed at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. 

The vote approved a $5.099 million contract with Wapasha Construction Co. Inc. of Winona, who had the low bid, for the grit removal building and associated equipment. The bid was almost $1 million less than the engineer’s estimate. 

City Manager Ian Rigg said the city received four bids ranging from the bid from Wapasha Construction Co. on the low end up to about $5.89 million on the high end. He said he thought the competition helped lower the bids. 

City Engineer Steven Jahnke said he thought it also helped that Wapasha is doing a water plant project in Glenville and will already be in the area. He noted that the bids went out at a good time before the company’s schedules were full. 

The project involves the influent flow monitoring, vortex grit removal, motorized gates with manual bypassing, grit pumping and dewatering, and electrical work and controls, along with costs for the building and associated structures. 

The council also approved paying no more than $560,000 to Bolton & Menk for professional services and oversight during the grit improvements project and testing. Construction is expected to last until spring 2026. 

In other action, the council:

• Witnessed the swearing in of new Albert Lea Police Department Officer Brian Schember.
• Witnessed the swearing in of new full-time Albert Lea firefighters Darion Peterson and Mitch Mulder. Both previously worked as paid on-call firefighters.
• Recognized Dalton Grose with a life-saving award and Kelly Herfendal with a letter of recognition for their quick action to rescue a man after his truck went into Fountain Lake last year. Grose helped pull him from his vehicle and bring him to shore, while Herfendal called 911.
• Accepted the feasibility report and called a public hearing for Feb. 26 for this year’s neighborhood improvement project. 

This year’s project involves mill and overlay on Fairlane Terrace, from Richway Drive to Briarwood Drive; Crestview Road, from Fairlane Terrace to Levison Street; Foothills Boulevard from Crestview Road to Fairlane Terrace; Spicer Road from Fairlane Terrance to Foothills Boulevard; Briarwood Drive from Garfield Avenue to Crestview Road; Kent Avenue from Fairlane Terrace to Levison Street; Levison Street from Garfield Avenue to Crestview Road; and Columbus Avenue from Hawthorne Street to Crestview Road.

The project also includes replacing bituminous, curb and gutter, and watermain on the Spicer Road cul-de-sac and replacing the bituminous surface on the east end of Hammer Road. 

The estimated cost of the project is $1.38 million, with 186 properties to be assessed. 

• Accepted the feasibility report and called a public hearing for Feb. 26 for this year’s state aid overlay project. 

This includes the mill and overlay of Greenwood Drive, from Richway Drive to the bridge, and installation of new sidewalk from Richway Drive to Hammer Road.

New sidewalk is proposed to be installed on the west side of Greenwood Drive, which would result in narrowing the street by 3 feet. 

The project is estimated at about $905,000, with 44 properties to be assessed as part of the project. 

• Accepted the feasibility report and called a public hearing for Feb. 26 for the complete reconstruction of Marshall Street from Bridge Avenue to East Main Street and Sibley Avenue from Marshall Street to East Main Street.

The project will be done in collaboration with Freeborn County because the roadways are under jurisdiction of Freeborn County.

Estimated cost for the total project is $1.16 million. 

• Accepted the feasibility report and called a public hearing for Feb. 26 for the reconstruction of portions of Seventh Street and Winter Avenue. 

Work will be on Seventh Street from SE Broadway Avenue to James Avenue and on Winter Avenue from Fountain Street to Abbott Street. 

The project includes removal and replacement of pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalk, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and watermain.

Options are still being considered for sidewalks on Seventh Street. 

The project is estimated at about $1.88 million with 36 properties to be assessed. 

• Approved a series of Small Cities Development Program forgivable loan funds to the following:

– Abundant Harvest LLC to remove and replace 40 feet of foundation wall at 127 Elizabeth Ave. for a maximum of $10,000, which is forgivable after five years if the property isn’t sold before the end of that period. 

– Landmark Apartments of Albert Lea to install siding, windows, soffit, fascia, gutters, garage floor and doors, entry door, lighting, HVAC system, insulation, kitchen installation and interior flooring at 820 Hawthorne St. for a maximum of $15,000, forgivable after five years if the property isn’t sold before the end of that period. 

– Home is Where the Heart Is LLC to replace a furnace at 1516 Hawthorne St. The loan is for a maximum of $5,000, forgivable after five years if the property isn’t sold before the end of that period. 

• Amended the city’s dock ordinance to reflect recent changes in the insurance industry. The ordinance previously required dock permit holders to name the city as an additional insured party on their liability insurance, typically as part of their home insurance. However, because many insurance companies are no longer doing this, this requirement was removed from the ordinance. Dock permit holders still need to provide proof of liability insurance.
• Approved the purchase of a Titan Olympian Leaf Vac to replace a unit that is 18 years old and has reached the end of its life. This equipment picks up leaves along the curb. 

The cost will be about $176,000 and will be paid for as part of a $713,000 zero percent interest loan through the Minnesota Pollution Control’s Clean Water Partnership loan program. The loan also covers the regenerative sweeper purchased last year and the mechanical sweeper purchased this year. 

The council approved the purchase of the Elgin/Pelican Sweeper to replace one of the two street sweepers the Street Department uses to sweep the streets. 

Cost is estimated at about $235,000 including the trade-in value of the current unit. 

Rigg said the Shell Rock River Watershed District will participate in the cost of the equipment, though he was not sure on a definite amount.

• Approved the submission of a redevelopment grant through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for costs associated with redevelopment at the Blazing Star Landing, including stabilizing unstable soils, infrastructure improvements, ponding and other environmental infrastructure costs necessary. 
• Heard a presentation by Kirk Kuchera and Joanne Brackey with SMART Transit. Check back for more about the information shared.