Approval recommended to enter into guaranteed maximum price for new water meters in Jamestown

Jan. 25—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown Public Works Committee in a 4-0 vote recommended approval to enter into a guaranteed maximum price with Ferguson Waterworks for more than $2.6 million for new radio-read water meters contingent on approval from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.

Councilman Brian Kamlitz was not present at the meeting on Thursday, Jan. 25.

City Engineer Travis Dillman said Ferguson Waterworks is optimistic on getting most of the new radio-read water meters installed in homes and businesses by the end of 2024.

"The sooner this gets done, I think that benefits everybody," he said.

The city of Jamestown will replace the current water meters with radio-read water meters because the current ones don't give accurate readings of how much water is being used.

Dillman said change orders should be expected for the project. He said there isn't information for every water meter size available when they were built in the 1930s and 1940s.

"We don't know everything as far as where the actual install (is) and what kind of stuff is going to be in the way," he said, referring to residences and businesses.

Dillman said he doesn't expect the change orders to be large.

"They (Ferguson Waterworks) are going to work very closely with us to minimize what that looks like," he said.

He also said the availability of water meters could also be an issue because of supply-chain issues but Ferguson Waterworks told city staff that it has the water meters available to install most of them by the end of 2024.

The Public Works Committee in a 4-0 vote recommended approval of the North Dakota Department of Transportation Urban Road and Urban Regional State Transportation Improvement Program list.

Every year, the city of Jamestown is required to submit a state transportation improvement plan of the city's list of projects to the NDDOT.

The top project on the list for regional roads is on U.S. Highway 52 from Business Loop West from the bridge of the James River to the existing concrete by Wilhelm Chevrolet GMC. Construction on the project could happen in 2027.

The second project on the list for regional roads is for concrete pavement repairs on Highway 52 from 7th Avenue Northwest to 10th Street Southeast. Dillman said all of 5th Street Northwest and 1st Avenue will get concrete pavement repairs. The project could start in 2026.

Other regional projects include concrete pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 281 from 29th Street Southwest to 17th Street Southwest and N.D. Highway 20 from 1st Avenue North to 12th Avenue Northeast.

Dillman said the regional projects have no local share. The NDDOT will pay 100% of the cost unless the city of Jamestown wants to add additional projects that will benefit the city.

The top project on the list for urban roads includes a mill and overlay on 4th Avenue East from 10th Street Southeast to 5th Street Northeast. The project also includes concrete pavement repairs and updating ramps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The cost of the project is more than $4 million with the city's share being almost $765,000. The project is scheduled for 2025.

The second project on the list for urban roads includes concrete pavement repairs and updating ramps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act on 7th Avenue East from 10th Street Southeast to 4th Street Northeast. The cost of the project is $2.8 million with the city's share being over $534,000. The project is scheduled for 2026.

Scott Edinger, chief of police, told the Jamestown Police and Fire Committee that a water line froze at the building that houses the Jamestown Police Department's shooting range and the entire building was flooded.

"We don't know how many hours or days it was running but it was right towards the end of the last cold snap that we had," Edinger said. "Pretty much everything inside was covered in about a half inch of frost and ice. The doors were frozen shut."

He said a couple of the doors were damaged and will need to be replaced.

"We do have an estimate on our furnace and so when we get more information we will come back and update you again," Edinger said.

He did not say what the cost estimate for the furnace is.

He said the furnace is from 1983.