Royston’s $1.592 million raw-water upgrade awaits two hydrants before finish

Royston’s $1.592 million Raw Water Intake Improvements project was nearly complete as of Dec. 9, 2025, but the city said it was still waiting for materials needed to install two in-ground hydrants on the raw-water main. The update came after the new raw-water pump station had entered operation, leaving a narrow but unresolved piece of work on the infrastructure that brings water into the city’s system.

The project is a major investment in the part of Royston’s water system that collects raw water before it is treated and delivered to customers. Its near-completion matters because the city has committed substantial public funds to the upgrade, while the final reported task involves the raw-water main itself and has not been documented as complete.

City Council set the project in motion in April 2025, approving Haren Construction Co.’s $1.592 million contract by a 6-0 vote. By Sept. 9, city operations staff reported that work was continuing and the raw-water pump station was operating. The following month, the city said most pump-station work could be finished by the end of October and described the project as on schedule. December’s report revised that picture from an expected near-term finish to a project that was nearly complete but dependent on delivery of materials for two hydrants.

The City Council’s recorded position was expressed through its unanimous approval of the Haren contract, authorizing the construction work. Operations reports later described the project’s progress: the pump station was running in September, the work was described as on schedule in October, and staff identified the two hydrants and pending materials in December. The cited records do not include a response from Haren Construction or identify a dispute between the contractor and the city.

Several milestones are documented: bids were opened, the contract was approved, and the raw-water pump station was operating by September. The December description of the project as “nearly complete” was a progress report, not a declaration that all work had been finished. No later cited city action confirms that materials arrived, the two hydrants were installed, or the city formally accepted the work; it also does not show whether the remaining work altered the project’s price, schedule or scope.

The next public milestone would be a city operations update, council action or project record stating whether the hydrant materials were received and the installations were completed. Residents will also be looking for a formal completion or acceptance record and any accounting of schedule, scope or cost changes. The April minutes establish the approval month, though they do not give the meeting’s exact day.