City Council Meeting - 2023-09-18

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — September 18, 2023 • Council approved the consent agenda after a roll-call vote. The transcript indicates the motion carried, but does not reliably support a complete attendee list or vote count. • Council authorized the city to proceed with design and engineering for a new electric substation planned behind the police station, along with the related 46 kV transmission-line rebuild. The motion also authorized bonding discussions and the start of procurement planning, including the transformer and other materials. The proposal will return to council after design work for bidding-related steps. • Staff estimated the combined project at about $5.87 million: about $3.8 million for the substation, $2 million for the line rebuild, and about $350,000 in engineering fees. The estimate was described as including construction, engineering, construction oversight, and contingency. The final cost will be clearer after bids and material pricing are received. • The consultant said the existing overhead line between the Clayton Road substation and the Hoyt/Lake area is currently operating at distribution voltage but is classified as a 46 kV line. The rebuild would include a 46 kV circuit and a 12.5 kV distribution circuit on wood poles. From the Hoyt/Lake intersection into the new station, the preliminary plan is for underground directional boring, with limited open trenching near the station. • Procurement timing was emphasized. The transformer is expected to have roughly a two-year lead time, with the consultant describing a target to have the substation online before summer 2026. Most construction was described as occurring during 2025, while the transmission-line work could begin in late 2024. • A public commenter objected to the Deer Park location, raising appearance and cost concerns and citing a claimed $750,000 difference from a Lake Street alternative. The consultant did not have the earlier site-comparison estimates available at the meeting. Staff said the city had considered several private parcels and the Lake Street public site before the current location was selected. • Council requested the cost difference between a masonry concealment wall and vegetation screening. The consultant said a masonry wall would provide more complete visual screening and more sound reduction, but did not provide the cost comparison at the meeting. Staff also said the Deer Park could potentially be downsized or shifted nearby; no relocation decision was made. Worth watching: • Staff/consultant follow-through on the masonry-wall versus vegetation-screening cost comparison. • Bonding terms, transformer procurement, and future bid prices that could change the project’s final cost. • A future decision on resizing or shifting the Deer Park area to accommodate the substation. Upcoming: Rain garden event September 22 at 10:30 a.m.; Fall Fest October 7; fall leaf and brush pickup begins October 2 and continues through mid-November; Judd Hill Wall bid selection is expected to return to council October 2. Why it matters: Council’s approval starts the next phase of a major electric-system investment whose costs will be funded through the electric utility rather than general taxes, according to staff.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.