County engineer reports on road supply bids

County engineer Larry Britt presented two contracts for the board of supervisors to sign at the March 3 board meeting.

A contract with Southeastern Tanks to install a ground storage water tank on Phase 2C of Project Poppy was signed. A Phase 2D water well and treatment project contract with Cleveland Construction was also signed.

Britt said the date of substantial completion of the Eddie Dixon Substation in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park has been shifted from March 11 to April 30. The change in date was required due to Fulwood Construction having to reorder and replace some stolen panels. It was estimated it will take from four to six weeks for the replacement panels to arrive.

Britt presented some supply bids.

Three companies bid on Soil Cement.

Ash Haulers bid $13.50 per hundred weight (cwt) to deliver only. County Road crews would have to spread and mix it.

Phillips Contracting bid $13.25 per cwt to spread the soil cement. Phillips would charge extra to mix it in the soil.

Vulcon bid $50 per cwt.

The board approved Ash Haulers at primary and Phillips as secondary supplier for the soil cement.

Two companies, Custom Products and C & G Supply, bid on galvanized sign posts. C & G was awarded the primary supplier and CPC was approved as secondary supplier.

The Blackwater Bridge raise project was discussed at length. The county's conundrum is that only $500,000 to do the project was in the original legislative appropriation bill.

Ste Bil Grading was the sole bidder at $723,000, leaving funds short by $186,200.

Britt said he discussed having the county haul in 12,000 yards of borrow pit soil to save money, but that Ste Bil said he could not make any profit on the project by raising the bridges alone. He could make a profit if he hauled the borrow fill to raise the road to the level of the bridges, after they are raised.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III has sought to have the two bridges raised because flooding causes residents to have to drive around the floodwaters in order to get to O'Dell Road or to Highway 310.

Zinn made a motion to accept Ste Bil to raise the two bridges to above the floodplain and to raise the road. District 5 supervisor Ronnie O'Neil Bennett seconded.

Supervisors discussed taking the overage of $186,200 out of $300,000 hoped for in appropriations this legislative session.

Sen. Neil Whaley joined in the discussion saying there is a good chance of getting the $300,000 legislative appropriation last session re-appropriated.

Zinn said he would be satisfied with raising the road and two bridges with funds the county has now and pave the raised road later.

Britt said if the board decides to wait to pave, it can be surfaced with gravel until later.

District 3 supervisor Terry Rodgers asked when the county will know if the legislature re-appropriates the $300,000.

“Everything can be great today and off the rails tomorrow,” Whaley said. “Nothing is for sure, but if everything goes as planned, the bill will come out the last day of the session, the end of March.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry asked how long is Ste Bil's offer good. “We can extend his bid, but the bid's good for 45 days after Jan. 14,” Britt said. “His problem is, does he want to wait that long?” Terry said if Ste Bil agrees to extend his bid until the legislature ends the session, the county will know whether the $300,000 is re-appropriated.

County administrator Tim Powell said the $500,000 already appropriated can be extended to August.

“We could ask him to extend his bid another 30 days,” Britt said.

Zinn then asked to table his motion until the end of March and the motion to table passed.

The board took up repaving the entrance road to South Slayden Farms subdivision. Britt recommended to wait until the danger of a freeze is past.

Two bids for flooring for the booking area, hallway and office at the new jail were presented by Simpson Stroupe.

The board approved the lowest bid for $6,486 from Signature Flooring. Quality bid $7,216.