AGENDA #8
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Bid for Construction of Weaver Dairy Road Sidewalk
DATE: July 2, 2001
The attached Resolution “A” would decline award of a contract for construction of a sidewalk along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road and would reallocate the associated Town funds to the local share of sidewalks included in the State’s Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project endorsed by the Council at its last regular meeting.
The attached Resolution “B” would accept the bid and award a $140,783 contract to Holmes Contracting, Incorporated for the construction of a sidewalk along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center.
Funding in the amount of $180,000 is available from the Town’s Capital Improvements Program.
The Manager recommends adoption of Resolution “A”.
Instructions and bid notices were distributed to seventeen (17) vendors in North Carolina and Virginia, and to four (4) minority business organizations in North Carolina. Specifications and contract documents were available for review in the Town Engineering Department and in the plan rooms of F.W. Dodge, Associated General Contractors, and Construction Market Data in Raleigh, North Carolina. Specifications and plans were obtained by eight (8) vendors for review and bid preparation.
In accordance with North Carolina General Statute 143-128, the Notice to Bidders was published in the Chapel Hill News and the News and Observer on Sunday, June 3, 2001. The Notice to Bidders was also published in the Challenger Newspaper on Thursday, May 31, 2001.
On Wednesday, June 20, 2001, three (3) bids were received and publicly opened. The bids are summarized in the following table.
|
VENDOR |
BASE BID (Asphalt Sidewalk) |
BID ALTERNATIVE (Wood Deck Sidewalk) |
|
Holmes Contracting, Incorporated |
$140,783.00 |
$19,410.00 |
|
Asphalt Experts, Incorporated |
205,764.00 |
33,414.00 |
|
Mellott Truckng and Supply Company, Incorporated |
277,813.00 |
21,780.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
Engineer’s Estimate |
$170,012.00 |
$12,740.00 |
The bids were reviewed by Town Engineering Department staff who prepared the plans and specifications for this project.
Based on the project scope and level of construction activity in and around Chapel Hill, we believe that the low Base Bid of $140,783 submitted by Holmes Contracting, Incorporated is reasonable. Our estimate for the Base Bid was $170,012.
We do not recommend acceptance of any bids for the bid alternative, which involves construction of approximately 140 feet of wood decking sidewalk with integral guardrail adjacent to a ravine between Steeplechase Drive and Cedar Fork Trail. This segment of walkway has not been approved at this time by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
We are continuing discussions with the State about alternatives for this segment of the project, and if we can come to an acceptable solution we will approach our contractor to submit a price to perform the work by change order. We estimate the cost of this segment to be approximately $15,000.
This project was approved by the Council for construction as part of the Town sidewalk improvement program. Funding in the amount of $180,000 is designated for this project in the Capital Improvements Program.
PROJECT ALTERNATIVE
At its June 25, 2001 regular meeting, the Council endorsed the Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project including the installation of concrete sidewalks along both sides of Weaver Dairy Road for the full length of the project. This includes the segment between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center, which is designated for construction of the asphalt sidewalk discussed above.
Standard policy on State roadway improvement projects is for the local community to pay for those new sidewalks associated with the project that do not replace existing sidewalks.
We anticipated this on the Weaver Dairy Road project and have programmed $726,000 of Direct Allocation funds through our Metropolitan Planning Organization Surface Transportation Program for the construction of sidewalks on both sides of the improved roadway. These funds require a 20% local match, which would amount to $145,200.00.
The Council’s decision on June 25 to proceed with the Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project, including sidewalks along both sides of the road, has caused us to reconsider costs and benefits of installing the asphalt sidewalk previously approved by Council for the south side of Weaver Dairy Road.
According to the State, construction of the Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project is scheduled to begin in 2004. If the Council decides to proceed with the proposed asphalt sidewalk, it could be completed before the end of 2001. This suggests that the useful life of the asphalt sidewalk would be 2-3 years before all or part of it would be removed for the roadway widening project scheduled by the State.
It is our opinion that, because of its relatively short useful life, the expenditure of local funds for the proposed asphalt sidewalk along Weaver Dairy Road is no longer prudent. In addition, we believe that the North Carolina Department of Transportation may not fund the replacement of a sidewalk which had been so recently installed.
As an alternative, we suggest that the Council consider reallocating the $180,000 presently included in the Town Capital Improvements Program from the Town’s Weaver Dairy Road sidewalk project to the 20% local match share of the cost of sidewalk improvements which will be part of the State’s Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project. Since we are now working with only rough estimates of potential sidewalk costs expected on the project, we suggest allocating the entire $180,000 at this time. If the entire amount is not needed to fund the Town’s share of sidewalk construction on Weaver Dairy Road, the excess could be applied to future local projects.
Regardless of whether the North Carolina Department of Transportation would rebuild this sidewalk at no additional cost to the Town, we believe that it is not good public policy for the Town’s tax base to finance the construction of an asphalt path two to three years before the State tax base finances the construction of a concrete sidewalk in the same area. Therefore, we recommend that the Council adopt the attached Resolution “A” declining award of a contract for the Weaver Dairy Road sidewalk and directing the Manager to reallocate $180,000 in the Capital Improvements Program for the local match share of the cost of sidewalk improvements which will be part of the State’s Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project scheduled for construction to start in 2004 and to be completed in 2006.
If the Council wished to proceed now with the asphalt sidewalk installation along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road, Resolution “B” would accept the Base Bid proposal submitted by Holmes Contracting, Incorporated and would award a contract to Holmes Contracting, Incorporated in the amount of $140,783.00 for the construction of a sidewalk along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center.
RESOLUTION A
A RESOLUTION DECLINING TO AWARD A CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF AN ASPHALT SIDEWALK ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF WEAVER DAIRY ROAD AND DIRECTING THE MANAGER TO REALLOCATE $180,000 IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM FOR THE LOCAL MATCH OF THE COST OF SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS WHICH WILL BE PART OF THE WEAVER DAIRY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT SCHEDULED BY THE STATE FOR CONSTRUCTION IN 2004 THROUGH 2006 (2001-07-02/R-12a)
WHEREAS, the Town Council has solicited and received bids for installation of an asphalt sidewalk along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center; and
WHEREAS, the Council endorsed a State funded improvement project for Weaver Dairy Road which would include installation of concrete sidewalks along both sides of the improved road within the next two to three years, including the segment between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center referred to above; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered this matter and has determined that it would not be good public policy to utilize the Town’s tax base to finance the construction of an asphalt walkway two or three years before the State tax base finances the construction of a concrete sidewalk in the same area;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council rejects all bids and declines to award a contract for construction of an asphalt walkway along the southern side of Weaver Dairy Road between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council directs the Manager to reallocate $180,000 in the Capital Improvements Program for the local match share of the cost of sidewalk improvements which will be part of the State’s Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project scheduled for construction to start in 2004 and to be completed in 2006.
This the 2nd day of July, 2001.
RESOLUTION B
A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE BASE BID AND AWARDING A CONTRACT FOR THE WEAVER DAIRY ROAD SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (2001-07-02/R-12b)
WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill solicited formal bids by advertisement in The Chapel Hill News and The News and Observer on Sunday, June 3, 2001, and in The Challenger Newspaper on Thursday, May 31, 2001 in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 143-128 for the construction work; and
WHEREAS, the following bids were received and opened on June 20, 2001:
|
VENDOR |
BASE BID (Asphalt Sidewalk) |
BID ALTERNATIVE (Wood Deck Sidewalk) |
|
Holmes Contracting, Incorporated |
$140,783.00 |
$19,410.00 |
|
Asphalt Experts, Incorporated |
205,764.00 |
33,414.00 |
|
Mellott Truckng and Supply Company, Incorporated |
277,813.00 |
21,780.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
Engineer’s Estimate |
$170,012.00 |
$12,740.00 |
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town accepts the Base Bid of and awards a $140,783.00 contract to Holmes Contracting, Incorporated for construction of a sidewalk along the south side of Weaver Dairy Road between Cedar Falls Park and the Timberlyne Shopping Center, all in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
This the 2nd day of July, 2001.