Sue Sitter/PCT City workers replace a fire hydrant in a residential section of Rugby Dec. 13. Engineer Jim Olson said the work had been scheduled in advance and was not an emergency.

Work on crumbling infrastructure near 2 1/2 Avenue moved closer to a start after the Rugby City Council voted on a bid for the project at their regular meeting Dec. 6.

The council awarded the bid to Wagner Construction, an underground utility contractor from Minnesota. Wagner Construction submitted a bid of $5,326,728.25, well under the $5.9 million originally budgeted.

Before the council voted, member Neil Lotvedt asked about added costs including engineering fees. Lotvedt said according to information he had received about the project, additional costs would likely push the project’s total up to $6.75 million. Jim Olson of engineering firm AE2S agreed that the project’s total costs would likely be closer to Lotvedt’s calculations.

“We’re not just approving this,” Lotvedt said, pointing to documents from the construction bid. “We’re approving this and these other costs.”

In related business, Olson told the council that the city would likely need to negotiate a deal for repairs and repavement on property belonging to M.J. McGuire Company, which would be affected by the 2 1/2 Avenue project. The council decided to revisit the matter at their January meeting.

Olson also gave the council an update on clarifiers for the city’s water plant. Olson had helped to secure $881,000 from the State Water Commission in October to pay for 60 percent of the project, which would total about $1.47 million. Olson asked the council to consider ordering the clarifiers, explaining the fulfillment and shipping process would take several months. Installation would begin in 2023. The council approved Olson’s request to place the order, pending funding from the state water commission.

The council also reviewed a proposal to install geographical information systems (GIS) software on devices used by city workers. The application would allow city workers to locate problem areas using geographical coordinates for more precision. Olson said the cost to implement the software would be $12,472. The council tabled the issue until their January meeting.

The council heard committee updates. Council member Joel Berg reported the Recreation Committee had made progress on the city softball diamonds to prepare them for use by the Rugby High School softball team in the spring. Work to clean sloughs west of the recreation complex would be done as well, Berg added. Berg also reported a position for a seasonal recreation director was still open.

Rugby Police Chief John Rose told the council the department had decided to withdraw a job opening for a fifth police officer in light of a population decline for the city reported in the 2020 U.S. Census. City Auditor Jennifer Stewart offered to provide a cost analysis of overtime pay for current officers versus the cost of hiring another officer. The council also approved a municipal court report submitted for November.

Council members heard updates from the Buildings Committee on improvements to the city swimming pool building and armory. Member Lotvedt also told the council a garage door on a portion of the city hall building formerly used by the fire department had safety issues. The council agreed to have work done on the door.

Additionally, the council approved Lotvedt’s recommendation to hire Jamestown firm Pipe Detectives to clear sludge blocking sewer lines near the city baseball diamonds.

Council members also approved edits to the city’s defined benefits plan for employees and the grievance policy listed in the city employee manual. City personnel committee members said the former grievance policy required employees to submit grievances to an administrator in a position that had been eliminated.

The council approved two plats at their regular meeting. One, called the Healthy Heights Addition, would add land to the city for use by the new Heart of America Medical Center. Council members Lotvedt and Wayne Trottier voted to approve the plat with the understanding that both were associated with the hospital project – Lotvedt as a steering committee member and Trottier as a member of the board of directors. The council approved another plat adding land to the Little Flower Catholic Cemetery. Planning and zoning commission member Dave Anderson, who abstained from voting for the plat during the commission’s meeting, owned the land.

In other business, the council approved beer and liquor license applications and an official calendar for 2022. The council also reviewed and approved a hazard mitigation plan submitted by the Pierce County Office of Emergency Management.

Council members also approved a motion to send a warning letter to a resident who had been ordered by a judgment to clear his property of scrap metal and other waste. Council members said the resident had not yet complied with the court order. The council asked City Attorney Bill Hartl to send the letter.

The council also voted to call for fuel bids for 2022.

The council will hold their next regular meeting at city hall Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.