YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s board of control approved a $1,190,320 contract for sanitary sewer work that could lead to an economic development project.

The board voted 3-0 Thursday to sign a contract with Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Co. of Youngstown, which submitted the lowest bid by the July 3 deadline.

The board consists of Mayor Derrick McDowell, Finance Director Kyle Miasek and Law Director Adam Buente.

Marucci & Gaffney’s bid was the lowest of four submitted for a sewer pump station project on Exal Court in the Salt Springs Road Business Park.

The bid is less than the $1.7 million engineer’s estimate as well as the $1.95 million city council agreed to spend up to during a June 3 meeting.

Marucci & Gaffney, which does extensive work for the city, is building a sanitary sewer pump station — like the one to be built at a 12-acre site on Exal Court.

The project will take 120 days and should start in August, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works. The contract has to hit a certain benchmark by mid-September, he said.

Council approved spending up to $1.95 million for the project June 3, seven weeks after first being asked to consider it.

Top Property Holdings LLC of North Lima, which developed the 45-acre North Jackson Commerce Park that landed its first tenant earlier this year, is interested in the Exal Court property.

The pump station is needed to improve the site for potential development.

After the pump station is installed, Top Priority could construct a 40,000-square-foot building, Miasek recently told council, and then up to three additional 40,000-square-foot buildings at the site.

Each building could house one, two or four businesses, he said.

Each building would employ about 35 full-time employees with an annual payroll of about $2.1 million each, Miasek said.

There is no contract in place with Top Property, but if this doesn’t work out, the site will be ready for a different project, Miasek said.

Council first heard the request for the pump station funding at its April 15 meeting and referred it to committee for further discussion with some members vocally skeptical about spending the money without a project at the location.

After the May 13 committee meeting, council members postponed a vote at its May 20 meeting, with members saying they needed the administration to package the revenue information, which Miasek provided June 3.

Council voted 7-0 in favor of letting the board of control spend up to $1.95 million at that June 3 meeting.