Feb. 3—The Watertown City Council approved a bid for the city’s long-awaited sewer project during its meeting on Wednesday night.

“This is a major decision, and if the decision goes like it’s about to, it’ll be the biggest single investment we’ve made as a council to my knowledge,” Watertown Mayor Mike Jennings said at the beginning of the discussion.

All four bidders were from Tennessee, but Conrad Construction in Lebanon — whose bid was also the lowest in cost — was the only company from Wilson County.

The city council approved the contract with Conrad Construction for the total bid amount of $5,419,580, contingent upon being able to obtain financing. With the approval, the council also requested an initial change order that would eliminate the lining of the service lines for every connection along the 8-inch or 15-inch means that exist. The change order would bring the total cost down to around $3.4 million.

Jennings said that the company has worked for the city in the past.

“I feel comfortable with them being able to do the work,” Jennings said.

Steve Jones from Water Management Services analyzed the bids and presented them to the city council along with his recommendation.

“The project was set up as a base bid and then an additive alternate,” Jones said. “What that means is, as it states in the letter, you have the option to award either the base bid in the amount of $4,041,910 or the additive alternate.”

The base bid includes the cost of moving Watertown’s interceptor sewer out of the creek, which would entail around 2,700 feet of new sewer line, and then rehabbing 6,500 feet of sewer line around the city.

“The active alternate adds another 6,000 feet of sewer line that would be rehabbed to prevent inflow and infiltration from entering the sewer system,” Jones said. “To add the active alternate on the bid, the way it was set up was $1,377,670, bringing the total bid to $5,419,580.”

Water Management Services had inspections done on sections of the sewer line, which was used in a corrective action plan.

“This project is fulfilling what was identified in that corrective action plan as the steps to help reduce the amount of flow going into your treatment plant and eliminating the issues in the sewer system that are caused by rainwater entering the system,” Jones said.

Jones said that the rehabbed fiberglass line would have a minimum 40-year lifespan.

Jennings began talking with the Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund to try and fund the project.

“I have a contact there. and I talked to her in terms of a 15- or 20-year bond,” Jennings said. “I had a lower anticipated in my mind, and then, the bids came in like they were. I don’t think our debt service, our system, our budget would allow us to pay it back over 20 years. We might have to go out further (to pay it off).”

A second option for funding is the United States Development Association.

“They exist to make rural loans to help with infrastructure, and as a part of the federal government, they have generally a lesser interest rate,” Jennings said.