Prairie Grove To Open Bids For Sewer Lines

PRAIRIE GROVE — The city will open bids June 6 on a million dollar sewer rehabilitation project but will not have enough money to complete everything on its wish list, said Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works.

Prairie Grove is using proceeds from a 2011 bond issue to replace water and sewer lines, pave dirt roads and improve drainage and alleviate flooding along Viney Grove Road.

Prairie Grove voters in September 2011, authorized the city to extend its .75 percent sales tax to finance a new bond issue for the infrastructure improvements.

The Viney Grove project and the street improvements are already finished. Next up are the sewer and water projects.

Oelrich said the bond issue allocates $1.4 million to replace sewer lines, some that were installed in the 1930s. However, he estimates it would cost more than $2 million to replace all the lines that need to be replaced.

He said the city will prioritize the work, adding he hopes the bids will come in under estimate and city officials will be able to put two or three areas back into the plan.

Most of the sewer lines are 6-inch clay pipes. The lines will be replaced with a minimum 8-inch PVC pipe, Oelrich said.

The City Council will vote on the recommended bid at its June meeting and Oelrich said work should start in mid-July. He expects it will take about six months to replace the sewer lines.

The city will advertise for bids to replace water lines in the next two or three weeks.