Riley County commissioners opened bids for the University Park sewer rehabilitation project Thursday morning.
The project will be a multi-million dollar endeavor, though 45 percent of it will be paid by an USDA Rural Development Grant.
The low bid was from Utility Solutions, LLC, of Basehor for $2.56 million, while the high bid was $4.32 million from Tri-Star Utilities of Independence.
Commissioner Robert Boyd said the bids do not include the five lift stations that will also be needed for the project, due to the hilly terrain.
University Park is a small community west of Riley right by the waters of Tuttle Creek Lake. The community was originally founded in the early 1960s after the dam was put in and set up for Kansas State University professors and other faculty to have weekend cabins.
At the time it was restricted to that demographic, but not many of them bought cabins and instead lower-income buyers took advantage of the cheaper prices.
During a sewer system check in 2013, it was discovered there are cracks in the system.
The construction of the sewer system predated more modern systems that use PVC pipe. The University Park system uses clay tile and the area, which is very hilly and full of limestone and shale, has shifted over time.
Not surprisingly, the aging system has deteriorated.
In other items, the Register of Deeds office reported revenues of $819,011 so far for the year, which is up over revenues at this time last year, which were $732,858.
