Water, streets, sewer, parks included in Quincy capital budget
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month AGO
Haisley Villalpando plays the beanbag toss game at the National Night Out, sponsored by the Quincy Police Department, in Lauzier Park in August. The city of Quincy’s capital budget includes money for additional recreation opportunities in Lauzier Park.
FILE PHOTO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 27, 2024 3:00 AM
QUINCY — Between sewer system upgrades and repairs, street work and water system improvements – among many other possible projects – 2025 is going to be a busy year in Quincy. Quincy City Council members approved a list of possible capital projects for 2025 at a special council meeting Monday.
The city will be paying part of the costs of the project itself and looking for other funding to pay the rest. Extensive work on the city’s wastewater treatment systems is an example.
Quincy city officials are working on projects to upgrade, repair and replace pieces of the sewer system, an expensive undertaking. City officials budgeted $750,000 to fix one piece of equipment, and $250,000 to fix another.
“That’s money that the city can afford to put toward those projects,” said Carrie Lnenicka, Quincy finance director.
City officials will apply for funding from other sources to pay for the rest of those projects, she said.
The city’s water system also needs upgrades and expansion, and construction of a new water main on M Street Northeast is among the proposed projects. Total project cost is projected at about $2.75 million: the 2025 budget allocates about $550,000. City officials are looking for funding to pay for the rest.
A new water tower is scheduled for construction, something the city is paying for itself from money it received to help offset the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cost of a new water tower is projected at $2.42 million.
A lot of work is planned on M Street Northeast, which is near Quincy High School, three data centers and some of the city’s industrial businesses. About $2.3 million has been allocated for work on the third phase of construction M Street NE, with city officials looking for additional funding to pay the balance. Total project cost is projected at $3.2 million.
Capital expenditures in 2025 also include $1.5 million to build a bridge near the intersection of M Street NE and Road O Northwest.
Work is scheduled to begin on a new indoor sports facility, called the Q-Plex, and a new Quincy Aquatic Center. The new Quincy Valley Parks and Recreation District will operate both, but both will be located within the city limits.
The Q-Plex will be in Lauzier Park on 13th Avenue Southwest. Major street upgrades are planned for 13th Avenue SW, but that work isn’t scheduled until at least 2026. Upgrades are planned to better connect the streets east of the park, but that work also is scheduled for 2026 at the earliest.
The planning and design of the Q-Plex is scheduled for 2025. Quincy City Administrator Pat Haley said in an earlier interview that the pool design is further along than the Q-Plex, and construction could start in 2025.
The parks and recreation district will eventually pay for the construction, maintenance and operation of the Q-Plex; the city will build the pool, Haley said. The city’s 2025 budget includes spending capacity for about $19 million for the two projects, although the city may not spend all of it or even much of it.
Lnenicka said some of it may be spent on pre-construction preparation in East Park, where the pool will be, as well as in Lauzier Park.
Additional work is planned to upgrade Lauzier Park, adding outdoor softball and baseball fields, improving lighting and parking, among other projects. City officials allocated about $5 million for that work in 2025.
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