The Georgetown City Council approved an award for the Deshaies/Water Street interceptor sewer replacement project after reviewing bids and funding sources.

Georgetown Municipal recommended contracting with Cleary Construction (bid approximately $6,900,000) to replace two older sewers — an 18‑inch and a 30‑inch line installed in 1963 and 1983 — with roughly 3,700 feet of new 42‑inch sewer and about 1,300 feet of 8‑inch sewer. The project aims to remove persistent infiltration and inflow and reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic failure in the southern service area that feeds the treatment plant.

Funding and schedule: The project includes a $3.74 million award from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) cleaner-water program; the balance will be funded through the recently approved bond issuance. City staff said the low bid came in under the engineer’s prior estimate (~$8.48M), leaving contingency for change orders. Council approved the recommendation by voice vote after a motion by Councilmember Minky and second by Councilmember Mitchell.

Community impacts and mitigation: The recommended alignment crosses under parts of Royal Spring Park and involves some work behind the old jail and a bore under Main Street; staff emphasized coordinated stakeholder outreach with parks and tourism to minimize disruption. Easements and permits have been secured and staff said preliminary coordination materials will be shared with affected residents. The project is characterized as necessary infrastructure renewal rather than capacity-driven expansion.

Next steps: With council approval the utility will finalize the contract, schedule stakeholder meetings and begin preconstruction coordination.