At 10:00 a.m. City of Morrison Engineer Shawn Ortgiesen held an official Sealed Bid Opening Special Meeting, on Monday, September 21, 2015, at City Hall, 200 W. Main Street, Morrison, IL, in the lower-level Boards and Commissions Meeting Room. Mayor Everett Pannier, City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen, and Director of Public Works Gary Tresenriter represented the City.
The City Engineer designs a contract and bid packages for companies. Two took proposals: Civil Constructors, Inc. of Freeport, IL, and Martin & Company Excavating, Oregon, IL, but only Civil Constructors, Inc. submitted a bid. Ortgiesen is charged with opening bids and making sure all items being considered for work are acceptable. He then recommends to the City which bid to accept.
This was an easy task, even though the Civil Constructors, Inc. bid was 7.7% over the approved engineer’s estimate of cost. Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental had calculated a cost of $137,659.35, for the Jackson Street and E. Wall General Maintenance program. The Civil Constructors, Inc. bid was $148,255.19.
Work on E. Wall/Jackson Street will continue south to Pine Street.
“There’s not much time left to [get this project done by laying hot mix,]” stated Ortgiesen. “November 6 is our completion date.”
At 2:00 p.m. Morrison City Council held a Special Council Meeting in the same space. In attendance were Mayor Pannier; CA Dykhuizen; Aldermen Curt Bender, Michael Blean, Arlyn Deets, Dale Eizenga, Dave Helms, Vernon Tervelt, Mick Welding, and Harvey Zuidema; Director of Public Works Tresenriter; Engineer Ortgiesen.
“The purpose today is to listen to the bid,” stated the Mayor, for the Jackson Street/E. Wall Street road project. The lone agenda Item for Consideration and Possible Action was to award a bid. Alderman accepted the$148,255.19 bid from Civil Constructors, Inc.
Ortgiesen informed the Council, “Pavement patching will take the longest time period.” During construction, “the road will be open to local traffic[, but there will be] a narrower passage. Jackson will be done in two steps, [accessible to] local traffic.”
Mayor Pannier suggested notifying schools of this. Others suggested informing emergency vehicles and residents as a courtesy, via the media.
“Work can start in three weeks,” according to Ortgiesen, and “will take about two weeks to do the job.”