The borough assembly voted unanimously on June 9 to award a contract to Ketchikan Ready-Mix & Quarry for the upcoming summer reconstruction and resurfacing of McKinnon Street, from Front to Church streets.

The company was the lowest of three bidders at $1.69 million. The other bids were $1.789 million and $1.861 million.

With engineering design services and a contingency, the total project cost is estimated at $2.164 million.

The assembly on June 9 appropriated $932,000 from the borough’s general fund reserves toward the project, with much of the rest of the cost covered with state dollars.

Funding for the project includes $937,594 from two separate state Department of Environmental Conservation clean water loan programs to pay for the new utility lines.

According to Capital Projects Director Amber Al-Haddad, the borough will not have to repay the state funding.

“Both of those loans are essentially grants, as they are both 100% forgiveness loans,” Al-Haddad said.

The aging underground utilities made a total replacement of the street and buried lines the most cost-effective and practical solution, according to Al-Haddad. The project timeline began with the identification of deteriorating utilities, prompting a plan that entails replacing roughly 280 feet of six-inch asbestos cement water main, alongside 280 feet of 12-inch gravity sewer main.

The subterranean overhaul will also replace related components, valves, fittings and the service lines connecting to adjacent properties.

Surface-level work will follow the utility upgrades. The scope of the project requires a total resurfacing of McKinnon from Front to Church streets, replacement of the storm drainage system and installation of new sidewalks on both sides of the roadway.

The rebuilding efforts will also extend to the Senior Center situated at the intersection of McKinnon and Church streets.

“Part of that foundation is rotting, because it’s a timber foundation,” Al-Haddad said. “So we will be looking at some repairs. … To what extent remains to be seen.”

The assembly appropriation includes $33,000 for the Senior Center foundation work. The borough owns the building.

In addition to the Senior Center work, a disintegrating retaining wall directly across the street will be addressed. A portion of the structure will be replaced where it meets the pedestrian walkway.

While Al-Haddad refrained from giving an exact start date for the excavation and construction, she anticipated that workers could be on the job after the July 4 holiday.

“The contractor wants to start as soon as possible,” she said. “They really want to get the job done before the end of November.”