An unmapped 6-inch sanitary sewer line serving two residences on West Monroe Avenue will be replaced with contracted labor under a change order approved Monday by Owensville aldermen.

The line was revealed earlier this year as city public works employees were installing a new water line on Sixth Street. The residents affected by the old clay line reported problems as city workers made improvements at the intersection of Sixth and West Monroe.

Travis Hernandez with Archer-Elgin, the city’s contracted engineering firm, told aldermen the change order to a previously awarded 2022 contract with Gruenloh Excavating — for sewer installation work completed in early April on Cuba Street — was the best way to get the work done on their time-line ahead of the repaving work scheduled on the Sixth Street project.

The work will include replacing the existing 6-inch clay line with an 8-inch PVC extension  to connect the two affected residences. The change order was priced at $32,591 for labor to install 230 linear feet of new line and two manholes. The work includes service laterals installed to a point behind the curb line.

Jeff Fahrenholtz, the city’s Public Works director, said the line will be buried about 10 feet deep during work at that intersection on Sixth and west into the 600 block of West Monroe.

Gruenloh Excavating recently completed similar work on South Cuba which corrected a failing line which also affected several residences. That project was awarded in August 2022 at a cost to the city of  $54,629.84. Gruenloh was the low bidder to specifications on the Cuba Street project, according to city records from the Aug. 15, 2022, meeting. Mid-State Pipeline Maintenance bid that project for $66,452.

The Cuba Street work included 428 linear feet of new PVC sewer pipe, two manholes, and four connects to lateral lines behind the curb. A city worker whose family runs the excavating firm took personal vacation time to help on the project, according to city records.

The repaving of streets included in the Sixth Street water line replacement project is included in the city’s 2023 summer paving scheduled awarded through sealed bids to Pierce Asphalt and is worth $508,291.20.

Also included in that paving project are sections of Cuba where the new line was installed. Paving work is expected to begin by mid-June. N.B. West bid the paving list of 2023 streets to be resurfaced for $566,161.80 and Capital Paving bid the project for $597,067.80