The Somerville City Finance Committee on Feb. 11 voted to recommend approval of three separate three-year, time-only contract extensions for the Poplar Street Pump Station project and to accept a $2,500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The extensions would continue services by Stantec Consulting Services Inc. (design), PMA LLC (owner’s project manager) and MWH Contractors Inc. (construction manager at risk). Director Michael Richards of Infrastructure and Asset Management told the committee the contracts had reached a three-year cap and the extensions would keep work on schedule despite minor delivery delays. “We’re on track with our schedule. We encountered some minor delivery delays over the winter here, but nothing that wasn’t anticipated with our schedule already,” Richards said.

The committee also recommended accepting a $2.5 million EPA grant tied to the 2022 federal omnibus appropriation and administered through the EPA. “This is part of the 2022 Federal Omnibus, I believe it was sponsored by Representative Ayanna Pressley on our behalf,” Richards said. The grant requires a 20% local match; Richards told the committee that the match is covered by previously approved city bonds and that the grant is reimbursable.

Richards described how staff worked with EPA to identify a subproject that would maximize federal funds without increasing total project costs because of federal “Buy American/Buy America” rules and related clauses. He said the award will “defray $2,500,000 of that project cost” within the larger project budget and that, if reimbursement timing is delayed, the city has borrowing and bond funds available to keep the work on schedule.

Committee members asked whether wider federal grant administration issues could disrupt the project. Richards said, “To date, we haven't been tipped off from our EPA folks to suggest that there will be any delays here,” and that the project team is coordinating with the city grants director. He reiterated that the grant is reimbursable and would not stop work if funds are delayed.

The committee placed the contract extensions and the grant acceptance on the table for a single vote of recommendation later in the meeting.