City hears updates on Boulevard Avenue water main replacement

Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson gave Havre City Council an update Tuesday on a number of public works projects, including the Bullhook Storm Drain Project and a project to replace the water main in Boulevard Avenue. 

The Boulevard Avenue project is set to replace the water main and upsize the line to create redundancy for the city's water main serving the Highland Park area of the city, Peterson said. The city is trying to finish the project in the Highland Park area, which includes 16th Avenue, 11th Street, Boulevard Avenue and Eighth Avenue West. The city is trying to repair the water main underneath the street so the state can continue its project to replace the road.

A redundancy means that if the city were to have an issue with the elevated water tank, which could affect the water supply for homes, schools, and the hospital and care center, the area would still have a water source, he said.

Peterson said that the city applied in September for a $453,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce Delivering Local Assistance Program, but the city was recently notified that it was not awarded the grant.

He added that the grant was very competitive and Havre was competing against every city and county across the state. He said that the total amount the state had to award was $21 million.  

The project still needs to be completed, and the city will move forward with working on the project and will start working on it in the fall, Peterson said. He added that if the city does not complete the water infrastructure project the state will not start its work on the street project. 

He said that the planning for the project is complete and, although the city was not awarded the grant, it will secure funding for the project.

Mayor Tim Solomon said that the project will be something the Streets and Sidewalks Committee will further discuss.

Peterson said that the city will probably look toward using the city's water fund to replace the water line. If the city was to use the city's water fund it will be something in next year's budget.

Peterson said the Bullhook Storm Drain Project, on which work resumed last year, has reached substantial completion as of the end of December.

"What that means is that we are basically done with the project," he said. "They are finishing up on a few punch-list items."

Punch-list items are final touch-ups and minor repairs on the project, such as filling in cracks on the sidewalk, cleaning up the job site and making small repairs on the roads.

He said that the only punch-list item which will have to be put on hold until spring is repaving the roadways. He said the contractor has money to complete the repaving work, but because of the weather it had to be put on hold.

He added that the city is also waiting on signatures from the contractor verifying the substantial completion, and once the city has those signatures it will be taken to the city's attorney. The attorney will then bring it before the bonding company to get the funding for the project returned to the city. 

"We are OK right now, but we would like to get that done and taken care of," Peterson said.

Some of the other projects that will be taking place this spring include the city doing minor repairs on the west water tank, he said. Last year, divers inspected the tank internally and found a few spots on the columns which will need to be recoated inside of the tank. He added that these repairs would be at no cost to the city and are covered by the warranty.

But to recoat those spots in the tank the water level will have to be lowered, he said, adding that they will hopefully be doing these repairs in the spring and have it competed in time for the watering months during the summer.

The city will also be sending divers to inspect the east water tank in the fall, he said. He added that this is in accordance with the one-year warranty of the tank and is only to check to see if there are any repairs needed under the warranty.

Peterson said that the city has been fortunate this year with it being a mild winter compared to last year.

"The winter, this year, has been pretty good to us," he said.

He said that the city has not had many water breaks this year compared to last year and has been mild enough that instead of the city putting down sand for ice it has been putting down a cold mix to make repairs to pavement.

He added that the only issue is that with the temperatures fluctuating this year between warm and cold, freeze and thaw, it will possibly cause the roads to be in worse condition this spring and may create more potholes and cracks in the pavement.

Peterson said Havre was notified it has been awarded a $15,000 planning grant on behalf of Clear Creek Trailer Court to plan work on the water system for the trailer court. 

He added that the city is only the administrators for the grant and the state will be sending some paperwork to look over before the trailer court receives the funding.