The Hastings City Council met on Monday, June 2 to recognize various new employees, proclaim June LGBTQIA+ Pride month, and move forward with the central water treatment plan raw water main project.
Three new interns were welcomed to the city: Communication Intern Natalie Sorenson, Community Development Intern Ameilia Thibault, and Public Works Intern Charlie Toegel.
The Council also proclaimed June to be LGBTQIA+ Pride month, in particular recognizing the work of the nonprofit IDEA which is hosting the upcoming 5th annual pride parade on June 14 at Levee Park.
Water main project
The council approved plans to advertise for bids on the Central Water Treatment Plant Raw Water Main Project, the first step in the city’s long schedule of building water treatment plants.
“And so it begins,” said Mayor Mary Fasbender.
The raw water main project will bring water from Well 7 to the central water treatment plant along mainly 7th Street West and North Frontage Road.
The project involves digging up half of the street in order to insert the new raw water main some 8.5 feet below ground level. Which side of the street will be torn up, however, will vary based on existing utility infrastructure.
Despite only half of the street being torn up, the entire street will be milled and overlaid including repouring driveway aprons so that “It will be like we weren’t there,” said Public Works Director Ryan Stempski.
Construction is expected to begin in August and be substantially completed in November.
PFAS Update
City Administrator Dan Wietecha provided the city PFAS Update for June. Wietecha addressed the newly-extended timeline for PFAS water treatment as laid out by the EPA. On May 14, the EPA announced its intention to extend the deadline to 2031 in order to “provide additional time for compliance,” said the EPA’s press release.
The previous deadline was 2029 which the city was expected to make due to its “aggressive schedule,” of building one water treatment plant per year said Wietecha.
Despite this new deadline, plans for the city’s water treatment schedule have not changed. Wietecha cited increased costs due to inflation as well as increased competition for bids near the end of the timeline as why the city would not push back its construction timeline.
State funds for the water treatment plants from a state bonding bill are still possible with the final budget expected to be finalized in the coming weeks in a special session. “We are hopeful for that,” said Wietecha.
The council approved resolutions for state bonding requests for the Eastern and Western water treatment plants. Wietecha styled this request as “keeping our options open,” for future funding.