The bills for flood recovery are adding up in Minot.
The Minot City Council's Finance and Improvements Committee voted Tuesday to recommend work on city infrastructure and the hiring of more building inspectors to examine flood damage.
Emergency design for another municipal solid waste cell at the landfill is estimated to cost $30,000. The committee supported hiring Houston Engineering to design the cell and also to do design work on repairs needed to restore water wells damaged by the flood. The city continues to investigate damage to the wells and cost of the design work for repairs remains uncertain.
The committee selected Apex Engineering Group of Fargo and Bismarck to offer technical assistance in analyzing the city's sanitary sewer collection system and lift stations affected by the flood. The cost for about a month of assistance is $47,680.
In response to the need for additional building inspectors, the committee is recommending the city hire EAPC Architects & Engineers for $191,000 plus reimbursable expenses to provide eight staff members for a month.
The city hired ServPro to provide basement cleanup for Minot Public Library for $15,235.
All the emergency flood-related projects are eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Federal reimbursement will cover 75 percent and possibly as much as 90 percent of eligible costs.
In other business, the committee voted to proceed with reducing the number of city polling places from 17 to four in 2012. A polling place would be located in each quadrant of the city.