NEW ULM — The New Ulm City Council is expected to award the architect and engineering contract for the Rec Center RENU project.

In December, at the RENU Oversight Committee meeting, JLG was unanimously recommended for the project. JLG was one of two firms that gave a presentation. JLG impressed the committee with their knowledge of aquatic facilities and addressed all the needs of the city for this project.

JLG’s bid for the project was $621,000. The total estimated budget for the Rec Center RENU project is $9 million.

An agreement for Fire Protection between New Ulm and the New Ulm Rural Fire Association will be approved. The city’s previous agreement expired December 31, 2018. The new agreement is essentially the same as the expiring contract. RFA is paying a fee based on the annual cost of fire protection, times the pro-rata proportion of township residents being served to the residents of the city. For 2019, the estimated fee is $64,680.

A bid award recommended by the Cemetery and Monument Commission is expected to be approved by the council. The bid for the 223-niche columbarium from Coldspring was recommended in the amount of $122,621. The existing columbarium has 160 sold niches with only 64 remaining.