City opens bids for 2025 Special Sidewalk Projects

Friday, November 15, 2024 at 1:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

Bids were opened for the 2025 Special Sidewalk Program during Tuesday evening’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

These projects will use the city’s American Rescue Plan funds, which the federal government requires to be appropriated by the end of 2024. The funds must be used by the end of 2025, or any remaining funds will be returned to the feds.

The projects include sidewalks on South Michigan Street from Family Express to Dollar General (1) and Lemler Street to Jackson Heights Road (2). In the same area is Lemler Street from South Michigan Street to Bayless Street (3).

Other sidewalk projects include Washington Street from the Park Jefferson Apartments to Beerenbrook Street (4) and Washington Street from Beerenbrook Street to Fifth Street (5).

The engineer's estimate for these sidewalk projects was $291,500. Milestone Contractors offered a bid of $401,115.35; E & B Paving presented a bid of $390,689.90; and Phend & Brown had the lowest bid at $330,861.

The Board of Public Works and Safety took the bids under advisement to allow City Engineer Dan Sellers and Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt to review them. After review, the board approved awarding the contract to the lowest and most responsive bidder to the request for proposal. That award will be ratified at the next city meeting on Monday, November 25^th.