RIVERSIDE

Streb Construction of Iowa City was awarded a $3.3 million contract for work on the elaborate Third Street water main and road construction project that will begin soon in Riverside.

The City Council approved the contract at its regularly scheduled meeting April 4, but the vote was not unanimous.

Council Person Kevin Keine voted against approval because none of the three bids included alternate bids that would have provided for parts of the project to be discounted or changed in case of weather delays or increases in construction supplies.

Streb Construction’s base bid of $3.3 million came $100,000 under the engineer’s estimate of $3.4 million. Other bidders were Dave Schmitt Construction of Cedar Rapids for $3.438 million and All American Concrete of West Liberty for $3.474 million.

Axiom Consultants of Iowa City, which handled the designs of the project, recommended Streb Construction for the project after the bids were opened March 24.

In addition to installing new water mains, the construction will involve major work along Third Street and its sidewalks. Part of the work will involve creating new elevations for streets and sidewalks in order to decrease the chance of flooding.

The work is planned to be completed before next winter.

City Council members took a walking tour of the area in December.

Work on the city’s other major initiative this spring, the Railroad Park improvement project, began this week.

The council approved a proposal from LL Pelling Co. of North Liberty for a number of road improvement projects. The agreement covers more than $41,000 of work, however two proposed projects on alleys off Washington and Third Streets were removed by the council.

At the same time that capital improvement projects are beginning in the city, the City Council is considering an expansion of staff.

The council scheduled a work session April 11 to discuss the possible addition of a deputy city clerk to specifically work with nuisance issues around the city and also to help assist with the duties of city clerk Becky LaRoche and City Administrator Christine Yancey. The position is proposed to be a full-time job and is in the city’s budget, Yancey told the council.

“We don’t have the work for that,” Council Person Kevin Mills said.

Council Person Lois Schneider said a work session would help in terms of getting more input before making a decision on the expansion.

“I think we need a lot more discussion,” Mills said.

The council is also considering whether to split out the maintenance and building inspector duties of a job previously held by Jay Stuelke, whose resignation took effect April 1. Stuelke spent most of his time on streets and parks maintenance, Mayor Allen Schneider said, and the council may choose to fill the job with someone who works totally in that area.

At least temporarily, the council chose to designate Axiom Consultants to handle building inspections for the city as construction heats up in the spring with permit requests.

Both the maintenance position and the proposed deputy city clerk would pay between $17 and $20 an hour.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council will be April 18 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The council has also scheduled a work session for April 11. In addition to a discussion on a staff expansion, changes in City Council rules will be reviewed and discussed.