As reported previously, our United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Loan was approved on Dec. 27, 2016, which will provide low interest financing for our major infrastructure and water meter capital improvements to be implemented over the next 2‐3 years. In‐line with USDA requirements, the initial focus has been on locking in the Engineering/Design scope and cost. Although a detailed breakdown was included in our USDA Loan Application, we are performing “Due Diligence” by soliciting multiple bids from qualified engineering contractors. To this end, the Engineering/Design Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued April 7, 2017. We have received 3 bids, which are currently under review to determine which contractor best meets our specific selection criteria. We anticipate an Engineering Consultant selection and contract award by month‐end May 2017. The Design Services Phase will span from June through December 2017. The final design requirements will then be the basis for our construction contractor bids estimated to start in Jan. 2018.