From utility upgrades to new roads, Unalaska is gearing up for a jam-packed construction season this summer.

But before the work can get under way, the city has to award about $40 million in contracts.

As KUCB’s Lauren Rosenthal reports, one city councilor is expressing concern about a possible lack of interest in local construction projects from Outside companies.

Unalaska’s new wastewater treatment plant will cost at least $19 million dollars. The city received four bids for the project. Public works director Nancy Peterson opened them at a public bid hearing Tuesday afternoon.

“The apparent low bidder for this project is Alaska Mechanical at $19,270,000," Peterson told the assembled crowd.

Questions about oil and gas exploration have contributed to a minor delay in city council’s long-range budget planning. Instead, council tackled the 2014 operating budget at a meeting this week. 

City council will meet early tonight to start firming up its 2014 budget.

They’ll be asked to adopt a draft of the capital and major maintenance plan for fiscal years 2014 through 2018. The CMMP outlines major projects, including overhauls of three utility plants, and routine upgrades to city facilities. Over the next five years, the city will spend about $104 million on that work, with about $40 million in grant funding.

City council got a first look at upcoming capital projects and funding commitments at this week's meeting.

The Capital and Major Maintenance Plan compiles the large-scale projects the city will have to complete over the next five years. In 2014, city manager Chris Hladick said, the city will tackle $31 million in capital projects. That includes replacing Summer Bay bridge and purchasing a fourth engine for the powerhouse. 

Courtesy of City Hall

City council changed course on a rock stabilization contract last night, voting to give the contract to Advanced Blasting instead of putting it out to bid.

Council discussed the project in a closed-door executive session, which lasted more than an hour. When council resumed their regular meeting, councilor Dennis Robinson immediately moved to approve a change order with Advanced Blasting.

Advanced Blasting had been contracted to blast the wastewater treatment plant site, and get it ready for construction. But rock slides at the worksite threatened to cause delays. To get the project back on schedule, the city contracted an engineer to design a stabilization system.