Lower Bids for Ford City Water Project Received
With Council members Marc Mantini, Kathy Bartuccio, and Tyson Klukan anxious, Gibson-Thomas Engineer Ed Schmitt opens bids for water plant construction in Ford City yesterday morning at the county Planning and Development office in Kittanning.
by Jonathan Weaver
A trio of low bidders are making the Ford City water project a step closer to construction.
About a dozen contractors watched Gibson-Thomas Engineer Ed Schmitt open bid packets at the county Planning and Development offices on Market Street in Kittanning yesterday morning.
Between water treatment plant general/mechanical and electrical construction, as well as installation of a remote meter reading system, low bids totaled more than $3.3 million.
“The numbers are certainly manageable at this stage of the game,” Schmitt said. “(Bids) were very competitive – no one’s going to pull their bid.”
Out of 10 contracting groups between Westmoreland County and southern West Virginia contacted to perform general and mechanical construction, four bidders were received – the lowest from Kukurin Contracting, of Export (Westmoreland County).
Kukurin estimated construction costs would exceed $2.5 million.
In August, Kukurin Contracting estimated work would cost $2.49 million.
More than a half-dozen electrical bids were received, but the low bidder – Wagner Electric – came from Portersville (Butler County).
Wagner Electric’s bid of $423,000 was about $6,000 less than one submitted by Genesis Construction Group of Mount Pleasant (Westmoreland County).
A pair of Butler County and Cambria County bids was received to install a remote meter reading system.
Newman Plumbing, of Harmony (Zelienople), bid the lower of the two – less than $390,600.
In August, Newman Plumbing also submitted a bid of under $400,000.
Schmitt told Council Members Tyson Klukan, Kathy Bartuccio and Marc Mantini that he has worked with the low bidders on other projects and found them “reputable” and “capable.”
Water bids were opened in August, but were more the nearly $3.2 million financing offer from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST).
But, in March, Ford City received an additional $750,000 competitive Community Development Block Grant. Local residents and business owners submitted letters to the State to show the community need for the grant.
About $680,000 will be available after county administration fees are subtracted. Most of the remainder of the money will go toward engineering costs.
Even with bids coming within the nearly-$3.9 million limit, Schmitt requested council members possibly look into securing a line-of credit or additional financing.
“We have enough money to cover the cost of the project, but we only have a contingency of $50,000 – which is low,” Schmitt said. “With a $3 million, 800,000-some project, I’m not comfortable with the small of a contingency.”
Former Council Vice-President Jerry Miklos – who worked to secure the nearly $3.2 million in PennVEST financing while in office – said he was “very happy” with the bids.
“This is extremely good news for the water rate payers of Ford City,” Miklos said. “In my opinion, there’s absolutely no reason now to see any rate increase. I believe there’s cause to actually decrease water bills.”
The water plant itself would cost about $2 million to construct. In past public meetings, Schmitt said there are several safety, treatment and regulation issues at the current Neale Avenue plant.
Besides the new treatment plant construction, grant funding is also to go toward restoring and painting a water storage tank, restoring an existing pump station and emergency generator and installing new water meters.
By newvoice, March 25, 2016 @ 10:58 AM
Mr. Croyle nobody really care about jerry miklos opinion……
By mad-2010, March 28, 2016 @ 9:21 PM
So said the convicted Felon!