A consultant may help Rock Island decide whether to provide some or all of the utilities for Arsenal Island. Monday night the city council will be asked to approve an agreement with a firm called Mead and Hunt, from Middleton, Wisconsin.
The Department of Defense is preparing to privatize water, sewer, electric, and gas service to the Arsenal, and Mead and Hunt would help the city decide which, if any, to provide.
Public Works director Randy Tweet says the firm will do the study for 82,000 dollars. It will evaluate the condition of the utilities on the island, and estimate what it would cost to maintain and operate them for up to 50 years. Then help Rock Island decide if it make sense financially.
Aldermen gave their tentative approval to hiring Mead and Hunt two weeks ago.
The report should be completed by the fall.
