The Montpelier City Council voted to hire an outside consultant to finish final design and prepare bid documents for the East State Street reconstruction project, approving the engineering contract after public comment and a roll‑call tie‑vote resolved by the mayor.

The contract approved authorizes the city to contract with the consultant (selected through an RFQ process) to advance current 30% concept designs to 60% and 90% design and produce final bid documents, with the goal of putting the project to bid early in the year to seek more favorable contractor pricing.

Why it matters: East State Street is a bond‑funded reconstruction that includes repaving, utilities work and a streetscape component. The council has been weighing whether to add a continuous sidewalk along one side of the street and potential retaining‑wall work that could materially increase the project cost; approving the design contract commits the city to pay for further engineering and cost estimating but does not by itself authorize construction.

Council and staff said the contract follows the option the council selected previously and does not change the scope the council already approved. Kurt (public works/engineering staff) told council that city staff will do the utility design in-house while the contracted consultant will prepare streetscape, retaining‑wall design, lighting, sidewalk plans and bid documents. He described the current status as “essentially 30% design” and said the contract brings the project through check‑ins at 60% and 90% and final documents for bidding.

Council debate focused on two cost and timing issues: (1) an estimated additional price for building the south‑side sidewalk and any retaining wall — staff provided an early construction estimate of about $800,000 for the sidewalk-plus-wall package — and (2) challenges from residents to a recently filed right‑of‑way survey that, residents say, places city right‑of‑way lines through private porches and foundations.

Kurt told the council the total additional cost for the sidewalk and related geotechnical/retaining‑wall work is approximately $800,000. He said the consultant could advance design to 60% (for an estimated $37,000–$48,500 design increment) and bring back refined cost estimates; staff recommended doing that and, separately, bidding the sidewalk/retaining wall as an alternate so the city could choose whether to build it depending on bid results.

On the right‑of‑way, staff said the city has completed deed research and a new survey plat was filed April 4. Residents said the plat represents, in their view, an expropriation of small portions of front porches and yards for roughly seven to ten properties and asked the council to withdraw or reconsider the survey. City staff said they are under contract with an attorney to review the survey and provide a right‑of‑way certificate required by the city’s USDA funding, and that an appeal to the courts could delay construction if it resulted in litigation or an order to stop work.

Several East State Street property owners spoke during public comment saying the newly filed plat conflicts with prior surveys and has surprising setbacks; one resident called the filing “a taking of our land.” Staff said the surveyor’s method differed from earlier assumptions and that the city’s attorney will produce an opinion before staff proceeds to final steps connected with USDA funding.

Councilor Sal asked whether the council wanted to remove the sidewalk from the project now or proceed to 60% design and revisit after a refined estimate. Staff recommended advancing to 60% and returning with updated estimates and options (including an alternate bid line for sidewalk/retaining wall). Council member Helen registered a “no” vote on the design contract because she had voted against the chosen alternative previously; in roll call the mayor broke a tie and the item passed.

Ending: Council approved the consultant contract to complete final design and bid documents and directed staff to return with 60% design cost estimates and an attorney’s review of the right‑of‑way plat. The council did not change the previously selected design option and made clear the sidewalk/retaining wall could be removed later depending on updated costs and bid alternates.