Marseilles seeks movement on Union Street sewer project to fulfill grant

Marseilles officials will meet Monday with the contractor for the Union Street sewer project to discuss work that needs to be completed before the end of January to fulfill grant requirements.

Opperman Construction agreed with the city to replace some sewer pipes to offset a leak, but after a change in the plans for the work, the project has come to a standstill, city engineer Mike Etscheid said.

His hope is to get the project moving again Monday, he told the Marseilles City Council on Wednesday during its regular meeting.

The city received a $538,724 state grant to relieve sewer backups on Washington, Bluff and Union streets. Split into two phases, the work on Bluff Street was completed, Etscheid said.

The city agreed to $284,000 of the work with Opperman for the Union Street phase of the project, which included the city purchasing land to complete the work.

There is about $100,000 of unused funds in the grant that will expire if the work isn’t completed by the end of January, Etscheid said.

The contractor agreed to a $284,000 bond, meaning if the city has to explore other avenues to complete the project, it only will be on the hook for $284,000 of the project, Etscheid said.