ISG’s proposed CIP includes replacing failing lift station
It’s much too soon for the City of Balaton to realize any tangible return on its investment from the hiring of ISG as its engineer, but Balaton City Council members on Monday did receive something to at least whet their appetite.
Parker Hamann, an engineer with ISG, presented a draft of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan, which analyzed Balaton’s needs in prioritized fashion.
“This is a game plan for the City, planning things out for five years,” Hamann said. “It’s a fiveyear plan that gets updated hopefully every year — we’re really planning five years out, not 30 years out.”
The CIP is broken down into six categories: wastewater, drinking water, storm piping/ draining, street, parks and facilities; each come with the following recommendations:
• Wastewater: Replace the auxiliary lift station — considered high priority — as well as all remaining VCP mainline pipes and the main lift station (which is currently failing).
• Drinking water: Abandon Well 1 and install a new Well 5; construct a new water treatment plant; replace CIP waterman and lead service lines; inspect existing water tower; and install a new water tower to meet the average daily demand with a capacity of 100,000-150,000 gallons.
• Storm piping/drainage: Replace clogged or abandoned inlets and storm pipes as part of other street and utility projects.
• Streets: Develop an updated major streets plan that can be used for reference with future street projects; develop and maintain a pavement management plan that includes a budget for patching, chip seals, overlays, full reconstruction and other desired options.
• Parks: Install a sidewalk to connect the play equipment to the rest of Knudson-Bosley Park; consider adding ADA playground equipment at Eastbay Park, Eastbay Campground and Legion-Lions Park.
• Facilities: Replace overhead and main door frames and doors in the old fire house; remove chimney and reroute mechanical equipment; test for the presence of asbestos within interior walls; and consider combining old fire house and bus barn into one building. Install a lock on the electrical power panel at the Legion-Lions Park Shelter; repair leaks on the fuel dispensing system at the county shop; replace overhead doors and openers at the bus garage, and replace exterior doors and frames.
The CIP also covered City Hall, the community center and the library, as well as the fire hall, Eastbay Park shelters, liquor store, Highway 14 sewer lift station building and railroad sewer lift station building, and the grandstand, ballpark and storage building.
Of course, all of this comes with a cost. The replacement of the auxiliary lift station — priority No.1 — is estimated to cost $745,680. All told, the 12 top needs according to ISG, come to a total of approximately $4,019,238.
“This is us providing a service to you, but we also don’t want to ignore your input,” Hamann said. “This is your community — you guys live and work here, you know how things are run and how you’re going to utilize the systems that run the community. We do want and need your input.”
The CIP draft also included external funding sources the City can use to to lessen the financial burden on its coffers.
In other business from Monday’s meeting …
• The council accepted the following donations: $50 from the Pagel family for the Balaton Fire Department); and $25 from Shirley Warren for the community center.
• The council approved Vet Run gambling permits for a meat raffle on June 5 and a regular raffle on July 11.
• The Board of Appeal and Equalization hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on April 20 at City Hall.
• The council reported that golf cart permits are now available.
