Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Bids Opened For Water Project; All Higher Than Anticipated

Bids were opened for the Greenville Water Project Thursday, June 24, with all being more than projected by some $20,000.

In all, three construction companies submitted bids for the project. McClendon Construction Co. of Palestine, Ark., was the low bidder at $95,669. Next was Bobo and Bain Construction of Hope with a bid of $99,952.10. The high bid was turned in by McV, Inc., of Alexander, at $139,243.50.

These bids were opened officially at 11 a.m. Thursday by Charles Summerford, of Summerford Engineering, the project engineers.

Summerford, after the bids were opened, thanked all for their interest in the project and said the next step is to get approval by the city for the project and see what can be done about the difference in price.

There is about $70,000 on hand to get the water line ran to the Greenville area, it being left over from the Gurdon Rural Water Project, completed late last year.

"The bids were in excess of what we'd hoped for and may have the money for," he said.

It is hoped a decision can be made on selecting a contractor in a couple of weeks, Summerford added, but said the City of Gurdon may have to look for other funding.

The Greenville project is a small one, with 15 meters to be installed and about 12,500 feet of pipe laid. However, it will also require drilling beneath three sets of railroad tracks, and this, Summerford said, is where much of the cost is.

It took about two months, he said, to get all the necessary easements for the pipe to be installed.

The Greenville project came about as work on the Gurdon project was coming to a close. Residents in the area rejected being added into the Gurdon project when it was first proposed, but later decided they wanted city water.

However, the lending agencies involved would not grant permission to add Greenville onto the Gurdon project, saying it would have to be a separate project altogether.

At the time, Harold Hurst, manager of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Department, looked into the situation to see what would have to be done, learning this project couldn't be tagged onto the tail end of the Gurdon project.

He contacted the Rural Development Agency (RDA), formerly Farmer's Home Administration, and the Arkansas Department of Health, both giving approval for the Greenville project and to use the leftover monies from the Gurdon work.

Summerford, after the bid opening, said he isn't sure what will happen with all bids being more than is in the budget. He said the main reason for the overages is when he was getting the initial engineering quote for control, installation costs weren't included in the mix.

This could cause further delays in getting the project underway. However, once a contract has been let, the contractor will have 75 days to complete the job.

But, if additional funding can't be obtained, he said, he doesn't know what will happen.