By Mike Pound

mpound@joplinglobe.com

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A Joplin company has been tabbed by the Carl Junction City Council to handle a sewer project in the Briarbrook subdivision.

A bid from Southard Construction, one of three companies that bid on the project, was selected during a council meeting Tuesday night. The project is designed to eliminate the need for a lift station on Briarbrook Lane.

Southard submitted a bid of $199,515. Polston Construction Inc., of Lamar, submitted a bid of $242,079.75. McKinney Construction Co., of Nevada, submitted a bid of $248,939.

The council will consider approving a formal contract with Southard at its Sept. 15 meeting. If the contract is approved, work is expected to get under way by mid-November.

In other business, the council approved a contract for sludge removal. The council agreed to pay Mid-America Environmental Contractors Inc. an amount not to exceed $60,000 to remove about 2.1 million gallons of sludge stored in the city’s two lagoons just south of the wastewater treatment plant.

The council also heard a report from Pat Smith, who is in charge of the annual Carl Junction Bluegrass Festival. Smith said the festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 26, in Center Creek Park. Smith said the festival, now in its 11th year, will feature a host of local and regional performers, including Albert Brumley Jr.