Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

G&S Low Bidder For Project

G&S Construction Co., of Arkadelphia, was the low bidder for the parent portion of the Gurdon Rural Water Project.

The Gurdon Water and Sewer Commission met in special session Tuesday, Feb. 4, to discuss which company to recommend do the work. The commissioners agreed the low bidders in all area be recommended to the Gurdon City Council, which met Monday, Feb. 10.

G&S turned in a bid for $1,030,370.95 for the base bid and accessories.

Bids for two different types of water tanks were submitted, with Blue Glass, Inc., of North Little Rock, having the low bid for a fiberglass tank. Blue Glass's bid was for $142,427.

On the other hand, two bids were submitted for a welded steel tank. NWA Steel Co., Inc., of Springdale, was lowest at $104,028. The other bid, $109,160, was from Sefco, Inc., of Tulsa, Okla.

Two bids were submitted for the well to be drilled for the project, with C&B Drilling Co., Inc., of Stuttgart, having the low submission at $57,423.

Charles Summerford, project engineer, explained the bids to the commission.

He told the panel it should consider going with the fiberglass bonded water tank even though it is higher than the steel welded tank bids. This, he said, is because the fiberglass tank should last about 40 years and never need painting. Steel welded tanks, he said, need to be painted every 15 years or so. Currently, Summerford informed the board, it costs about $30,000 to paint a tank.

He said the well will be about 300 feet deep, with a 350 foot deep test well drilled first to be sure of the water samples.

According to Summerford, if the costs stay in line with the bids submitted, there will be about $79,000 uncommitted.

He said the contracts should go to the most responsible and responsive bidders on the basis of their bids.

Summerford recommended the water panel go forward with the project. The contingency fund, he continued, could be used if necessary or unexpected expenses arise.

However, he said Clark County Judge Grady Runyan will need to sign on the project as it is outside the jurisdiction of Gurdon's City Council. The county, he said, has jurisdiction of the project.

While G&S is a relatively new company, Summerford said, it has a good reputation. He said the company does the work on time, has been cooperative and is good at cleaning up after the projects are completed.

"They're capable of doing the job," he said. "We had some of the best (contractors) in the state bid on this project."

Summerford said there should be no problems with C&B as the company to drill the well, because of the experience its people have, and their track record.

He told the commission if the sand allows, the pump size could be changed on the well to provide 300 gallons of water per minute. The difference in pump size, he said, will make very little difference in the project's cost.

The original bids were for 30 horsepower pumps at the well site.

When questioned as to whether or not a customer could get a fire hydrant near their property, Summerford said if they were willing to pay for the hydrant, they could. He suggested anyone interested in buying a hydrant do so as soon as possible, because the prices could go up and the contractor needs to know where they would be placed.

Anyone interested in buying a hydrant, Summerford said, would have to pay the City of Gurdon for it.

However, he said if all goes well, work on the project could begin as soon as the first of April.

Summerford said the commission needs to set a deadline for anyone interested in signing up for the project of March 15, because there will be a pre-contract conference Feb. 19, and work needs to begin as soon as possible thereafter.

But, there is still a problem with easements. Summerford said the project still needs about 37 easements signed before work can begin.

He said it appears as though some properties will have to be condemned. This means a bond will be put in place for the property owners, while attorneys prepare petitions for a judge. The judge will then review and sign off the documentation so the project can begin. Two or three years later, he said, the judge will set a hearing to discuss actual damage done to the property. This is the only issue the court will hear.

If no one contests the rulings, the bond will be distributed among the owners. However, the property owners have the right to a jury trial if they so desire.

Summerford said the project has a contract of 210 consecutive days, or seven months. This means the project could be completed by Thanksgiving, if all goes well.