Princeville cuts back on sewer project after construction bids were higher than planned
By NICK VLAHOS
For The Weekly Post
PRINCEVILLE – An upcoming sewer- and wastewater-improvement project in Princeville is going to cost a little more than expected.
Bids for the project, which is expected to begin this summer, came in higher than the $5.1 million estimate, according to Kevan Cooper of Bruner, Cooper & Zuck., Inc., a Galesburg-based engineering firm. The number of bids, two, appeared to be fewer than anticipated.
Ultimately, the Princeville Village Board voted May 20 to accept the lower bid – $6,203,534.85, from Leander Construction Inc. of Canton. The other bid was about $9.5 million. Various factors, including supply-chain issues and possible tariffs, helped skew the potential costs, according to Cooper.
“These days, estimating construction projects is interesting,” he told the board.
To help bring down the Princeville price, Bruner, Cooper & Zuck is to eliminate part of the planned improvements. Forgoing new sand filters and a redundant valve is expected to pare about $900,000, to bring the total anticipated cost to $5.3 million.
Chad Gardner, the village superintendent of public works, said the sand filters might be replaced later. He suggested the cost would be significantly lower than the bid indicated. The filters date from the 1980s and represent the final step in wastewater processing.
A government loan is to cover the estimated cost of the project. About $200,000 in local money is expected to bridge the difference. Gardner indicated it might come from tax-increment-financing funds. The overall loan is for $6.2 million and also pays for construction-oversight and engineering costs.
Last month, the board approved a $7 increase in monthly bills for village sewer customers, effective in July, to help pay for the project. Additional TIF money targeted for it also is possible.
Both pumping stations in town are to be replaced and two excess-flow lagoons are to be constructed, among other work. The project is expected to be completed in late 2026.
The board also approved:
• A $1,839.74 Commercial Exterior Beautification & Renovation Program grant to Raylene Dippel to help pay for a new awning and signs at Raylene’s Total Salon Concepts, 110 E. Main St.
• Residential Rehabilitation Program reimbursements of $2,500 for a new front porch at 420 N. Walnut Ave. and $1,404 for new windows at 308 E. South St.
• A zoning variance for a 5-foot chain-link fence at a residence at 317 N. Cottage Grove Ave.
Board members tabled approval of the village budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, because it’s not yet finalized.
The board also heard from Nathan McCarthy of Solar On Earth, a Massachusetts-based firm with which the village recently enacted a 10-year deal for energy-bill credits. The agreement is expected to save the village 20% on its Ameren Illinois expenses, which are expected to be about $180,000 annually.
Solar On Earth allows residential or commercial customers to opt into a local solar-energy farm, which eliminates the need for rooftop panels. The closest Solar On Earth- affiliated array to Princeville is in Mounds, in far-southern Illinois, according to McCarthy. There is no expense to the village, per Gardner.
The village also issued building permits for residential fences at 415 N. Walnut Ave. and 411 E. Spring St.
