Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Second Sewer Bid Lower, But Still Over Budget

Five companies turned in bids for the portion of the Gurdon water and sewer project which will run to the new Gurdon High School location on Highway 67.

These bids were discussed Monday night by members of the Gurdon City Council, and by three members of the Gurdon School Board. Members of the school board had been invited to the meeting in the hopes of settling the issue Monday and getting the project underway quicker.

However, with only three members present, there was no quorum and, therefore, no decision could be made. Bobby Smithson, Gurdon superintendent, said called a special meeting Tuesday night to, hopefully, approve a contractor.

This was the second bid process for the school's portion of the project. The first bid was rejected outright by the district because it came in more than $83,000 higher than anticipated. Monday night, the district was informed by project engineer Charles Summerford the bids were still above the projected cost, but are lower than the first bids.

Summerford said Bobo and Bain of Hope submitted the lowest bid of the five companies, at $349,189.32. This bid is $35,753.74 lower than those bids received July 28th. He said a supplier had informed him the price of pipe has dropped, which could account for the lower bids.

He told the council and board, along with members of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Commission, Bobo and Bain has the equipment, personnel and financial ability to handle a job of this sort. In fact, Summerford said, the company has completed two smaller projects with the Twin Rivers firm.

"We're still over the amount which has been funded," he said, "but rebidding the project helped."

Summerford recommended accepting the bid from Bobo and Bain of Hope subject to available funding and the approval of the school district and lending agencies.

According to figures from Bobo and Bain, the estimated cost of the water portion of the project will be $170,000, some $24,000 more than expected. The sewer part is $283,000. This is $58,700 more than previously estimated and budgeted.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said the overage on the water part can be recaptured with an advancement from the lending agencies. However, he said, this can't be done for the sewer segment.

Smith said the council will do as it did in August, that is to look to the school to pick up the cost of the overage.

Smithson said with several members of the school board out of town, there was nothing he or the board could do. He then called a special meeting for 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the issue.

The council went ahead and voted to tentatively award the contract to Bobo and Bain pending the aforementioned stipulations being met. "Otherwise," Smith said, "we're back to ground zero, and will bid the parent project. We could get water and sewer to the school by August 1996."

Councilman Russ Hanson moved to have the parent project placed up for bid if the school board does not approve Bobo and Bain. The motion barely passed 3-2.

Summerford said the next step will be to verify the availability of the $24,000 overage for the water part of the project. He said if the additional funding comes from the school district the legal paperwork can then begin, easements can be completed and a preconstruction conference held. If construction begins Oct. 1, it will be the middle of December before the work is completed, Summerford told the gathering. "The weather is a problem. We need to push to get started before winter. Conditions are ideal now, but weather could hold the project up until Spring."

The quicker approval is received, the quicker the contractor can mark where the lines will go through property. Summerford said there are still 13 people who have not signed away easements.

Smith said there will be about 400 easements to get for the parent project, which will require more time.

In other business, the council heard from Delores Hodges, director of the Clark County Youth Center. She discussed the HIPPY program. HIPPY stands for Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters.

Hodges said the center is proposing to submit an application to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy for a $50,000 grant to help get the program implemented in Gurdon.

She said the program works with those primarily at or below the poverty level, with children three to five years old. A paraprofessional will go into the home to help teach parents the program. The parents, Hodges said, will then teach their children, who will be better prepared for kindergarten and school.

The council agreed and voted its support of the HIPPY program.

Smith said groundbreaking for the new childcare facility, to be located behind the gym at the Gurdon Middle School, could be Sept. 18, the day construction is scheduled to begin. He said a committee was needed to prepare a groundbreaking ceremony. The committee is made up of Tammy Pledger, David Williams and Russ Hanson.

The mayor was full of good news when he informed the panel as of Aug. 31 the city has only collected 39 percent of the projected $170,000 for Gurdon's general fund. He said the council needs to look at ways to trim the budget.

David Childres, city marshall, said he has applied for a grant in an effort to try and get a new police car for the police department. He said the vehicle needs to be ordered by October or November so it can be delivered by February, 1996.

Smith said the budget committee needs to meet and see if there are funds available to help buy a new police car. He said the grant from the U.S. Department of Justice was for $5,250 to help pay overtime.

Changing topics, he said the bids to renovate the bathrooms at the park were for $8,600, while the city budgeted $6,000 to get them to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The council, he said, had two choices: it could wait until next year when the city may have the money, or it could use the funds in another area of the budget. No decision was made at the time.

The council decided to combine the positions of City Treasurer and City Recorder. There has been a vacancy in the treasurer's position for months. Smith said three people had applied for the job, which pays $60 per month, and all were qualified. He informed the panel other city's have combined the recorder and treasurers positions into one post.

Smith said the council needs to have one of its members approved to sign checks, which will give three parties the ability to sign city checks. Hanson said if this is done the councilman appointed needs to be compensated for their time away from work. This,Smith said, must be done in the form of an ordinance, which, he said, would be drawn up next month.

Johnny Watson was recommended and app