Englewood board to consider City Ditch easement, utility contracts and 2027 budgets

The Englewood Water and Sewer Board will consider proposed utility rate increases, a $10 perpetual easement for the City Ditch piping project, up to $1.5 million in contract renewals and a $300,000 increase for Allen Water Treatment Plant improvements on Sept. 15.

The board's recommendations would not be final approvals. City Council would have to act on the easement, contracts, project authorization, budgets and rates. The city's meeting packet lists the items for the 5 p.m. meeting at the Englewood Civic Center.

The proposed 2027 enterprise-fund budgets include rate increases of 4.5% for water, 4.5% for sewer and 6% for stormwater. They also include a $2-per-month increase in the Capital Improvement Fee for single-family residential customers and proposed increases to water and sewer connection fees. The changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, only if approved by City Council; the packet says rate and fee approvals are separate from the budget decision.

The proposed easement with St. Mary Catholic Parish would cover about 3,033 square feet of property in Littleton. It would allow the city and its contractors to build, maintain and improve the City Ditch pipeline, temporarily store materials and use the property for vehicle and pedestrian access. The city would restore disturbed areas to a reasonably comparable condition after construction.

The City Ditch Reach 2 project would enclose the remaining open-channel section between Chatfield Reservoir and the Allen Water Treatment Plant. Staff say the project is intended to improve raw-water quality, increase capacity, allow year-round ditch operation and improve resilience and safety. Construction is planned in two phases: Reach 2A in fall 2026 and Reach 2B in fall 2027. The second phase would give Littleton more time to evaluate a permanent floodway improvement for stormwater affecting that section. Three existing stormwater outfalls would be rerouted as part of the work.

The board also will consider final one-year renewals for four on-call electrical, instrumentation and controls contracts serving the Allen plant and remote facilities. Proposed maximums are $500,000 each for Power Solutions Group and M. Gilmore Electric, and $250,000 each for Huffman Engineering and Timber Line Electric and Control. The combined $1.5 million ceiling does not guarantee that the city will spend the full amount; work would be assigned through project-specific task orders.

For the Allen plant's Phase 2 space-improvements project, staff propose increasing the staff-managed contingency from $5,866,867.60 to $6,166,867.60. The packet says the increase would replenish contingency used for unforeseen construction conditions and would not change the current GH Phipps contract amount. The updated substantial-completion date is Feb. 19, 2027.