The start of an infrastructure improvement project in east Hartley has been delayed, but the lull isn't expected to affect the completion deadline.

Engineer Wes Boyer reported to the city council on Monday that the lift station replacement project will need to hit pause for a month to allow time for an environmental impact review. The lull will push bid letting on the project from September to October.

The review is a requirement of the city's Community Development Block Grant, which is paying for $500,000 of the estimated $1.1 million project.

"Whether they get going on construction [this fall] or not, I'm not worried about them meeting the completion date," Boyer said.

The winning contractor has until Sept. 30, 2022 to complete the project. Once finished, the upgrade is hoped to alleviate water issues on the east side of town.

The project will replace the lift station located at North Eighth Avenue East and Second Street Northeast that serves a large portion of the northeast quadrant of town. The current equipment was installed in 1967 and is outdated. Sewer backups are common in the affected area during large rain events because the lift station is unable to pump water away fast enough.

Boyer said costs are expected to be slightly less than the $1.1 million estimate. Once the project is completed, the existing lift station will be capped, abandoned and left in place. The current building that houses it will be torn down.

The new lift station will not need a building, Boyer said. Manholes will allow access to the equipment, and some pipes will be exposed.

• Pool construction plugging along, other infrastructure updates

Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz said construction of the new pool is progressing as fall inches closer. The old swimming hole has been completely removed, and crews have been working on ground prep for the new pool's footprint.

Benz reported the subcontractor dug the hole two feet deeper than specs called for, but the error has been filled in and the ground recompacted. Pipework is also underway.

"Everything has been going OK," Benz told the council.

Crews hope to pour concrete by the end of the month.

Benz also reported that Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) is planning upgrades to its electricity transmission infrastructure near Hartley. The improvements will necessitate replacement of two miles of line owned by the city's utility.

Benz said the line would need to be replaced soon whether NIPCO's improvement project happens or not – it was built in 1965. He said all entities involved will need to hash out an agreement on who's responsible for which portions of the upgrades.

"Hopefully it goes somewhere where we can meet in the middle," Benz said. "It's something that strongly needs to be considered, because it would be big for reliability enhancement in town."