Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission

The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday, September 23, at 6 p.m. at City Hall for a regular business meeting. Commissioners will consider a $616,000 water clarifier replacement and contingency budget, more than $512,000 in street resurfacing work, a $116,800 change order for the electric building project, and a proposed increase in the contracted hourly rate for a Forestry Field Manager. 

Commissioners will also hold a work session at 5 p.m. to discuss the electric building project. The regular meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel and will be available to view afterward. 

Water clarifier

Commissioners will consider bids to replace the city’s Primary Clarifier No. 3, which was installed in 1964. The commission will decide whether to approve the recommended low bidder, Allied Mechanical Services, for $560,000 along with a 10% or $56,000 contingency. The clarifier is the largest of the plant’s three primary clarifiers and has a capacity of 189,000 gallons. 

The project was budgeted at $700,000. The recommended $560,000 bid plus the proposed $56,000 contingency is $84,000 below that amount. 

The city received four bids on September 9, ranging from $560,000 to $848,000.

Street resurfacing

Commissioners will consider accepting a bid for street improvements planned for 2027. Thompson Asphalt, the low bidder and contractor recommended by staff, submitted a bid of $512,715. Staff is also requesting a $51,271.50 contingency. 

The project will include milling, resurfacing, updating noncompliant ADA sidewalk ramps, and spot curb removal and replacement. A portion of the project may be completed in late 2026, with the remaining work expected in spring 2027.

Change order

Commissioners will also consider a change order for the ongoing electric building project. The city’s design consultant, Ghafari Associates, has requested a $116,800 change order that includes relocating the planned building from the east side of the property to the west side, along with other design changes. 

The changes were not part of the original scope. However, staff says they will “reduce the cost of the building and more than make up for the cost of having a slight redesign.”

In February, commissioners approved a $342,069 contract with AVB Construction to serve as construction manager following a recommendation from Ghfari. Staff said the manager was hired to “provide valuable feedback attempting to avoid issues and added costs during construction.”

Forestry Field Manager

Also on the agenda is a proposed increase in the hourly rate charged for the Forestry Field Manager provided by Plant Growth Management Systems (PGMS), the city’s tree clearance contractor. 

PGMS requested an increase in the Forestry Field Manager rate from $75.81 to $88 per hour. City staff is recommending a one-year contract to provide time to evaluate the tree program and “make sure it is what is best for the city.”

At their September 9 meeting, commissioners approved a three-year contract with PGMS covering 2027 through 2029. 

Under the agreement approved September 9, the Forestry Field Manager rate was set at $79.60 per hour for 2027, $82.78 for 2028, and $85.27 for 2029. PGMS subsequently requested another price change, according to the September 23 agenda packet. 

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.