(KNOX) – The Grand Forks City Council voted to approve and certify a special assessment of a project that helps with drainage issues. The project started in 2023 and was finished this August. The project adds one new pump station and upgrades two existing stations near Vail Circle. The project also includes a new forcemain that will run parallel to the one that currently exists.
The special assessment district is split up into two parts. Properties that drain to pumps 186 and 188 (roughly located in the area by Columbia Road, DeMers Avenue, South 20th Street and 13th Avenue South) were assessed as getting 100 percent benefit from the project. Properties draining to pump 182 (roughly located in the area within South 20th Street, DeMers Avenue, South Washington Street and 17th Avenue South) were assessed getting 25 percent benefit. Those benefit percentages were used to calculate how much each property would be assessed.
Several residents who were assessed to have a 100 percent benefit don’t feel they fully benefit from the project. Matt Heher has lived on South 23rd Street for nearly four decades. He says his property never had any water issues before the project.
The entire project is going to cost about $12.7 million, and $3.4 million was used for special assessments.
Meanwhile, the City Council has approved a budget amendment of $170,000 that will be used for elevator modernization at the Alerus Center. The project was supposed to start in 2027, but it has been changed to begin in 2026. The 2027 budget capital items will be adjusted because the bids for the project came in higher than what was expected.
The City Council has also approved both specifications and advertising regarding construction bids for a watermain project and lead service line replacement next year. The construction projects are the 2027 watermain replacement project on Cottonwood Street between Fourth Avenue South and Ninth Avenue South, and the 2027 lead service line replacement. The watermain project will cost about $1.2 million, and the line replacement will cost roughly $3.2 million.
A change order of $150,065 was also approved that will be for Phase 3 of the Highway 81 watermain installation project. The change order will include more private service connections and the costs for the work around unmarked private utilities. The change order will also be used to help the city find a leak on a nearby watermain.
The City Council introduced and also preliminarily approved an ordinance that amends the zoning map at 62nd Avenue South. This ordinance would rezone from the A-2 Agricultural Preservation District to the Grand Park Planned Unit Development that allows for residential lot development.
Another ordinance to annex Grand Park Second Addition at 62nd Avenue South was introduced and preliminarily approved This will also allow for residential lot development.
The City Council has approved the 2027 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan. The proposed budget is a total of $440,000. $227,000 will be for the Salvation Army that will go towards a food shelf upgrade, as $108,000 will be for the Grand Forks Community Land Trust that will be for affordable housing acquisitions. Another $105,000 will be for administration and contingency.
The City Council has also approved a resolution that issues and awards the sale of Refunding Improvement Bonds worth $6.27 million. Huntington Securities was the winning bidder with 4.61 percent of interest.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
