Eastern Court bids opened ... again
By ERIC AYRES, Times Leader News EditorST. CLAIRSVILLE - Belmont County Commissioners opened bids Wednesday for the construction of the new Eastern Division Court Building in Bellaire, a major project that was re-bid after the board rejected an initial round of proposals.
Commissioners first opened bids for the project in July, and 13 different contractors submitted bids for various components to the construction of the new court facility. However, board members decided to reject all of the bids, stating that none of the contractors completed all of the required paperwork.
The project was re-bid, and a checklist was included with the latest bid specifications to help interested bidders complete the necessary forms.
Ten contractors submitted proposals for Wednesday's bid opening. All of the bidders were based in the state of Ohio, and most of them were contractors from the area. Compared to the previous bids, the new round of proposals appeared to have come back with significantly lower totals.
Contractors submitted bids for work as general contractor and for plumbing, electrical work, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Some contractors submitted bids for combinations of the different elements of the job.
Colaianni Construction of Dillonvale submitted the low bid of $1,091,000 for the combination of all the contracts. During the first round of bidding in July, Walters Construction Inc. of Wheeling had submitted the low bid $1,157,050 for the combination of contracts.
However, the complex project also includes a number of alternates for paving work, for vinyl siding instead of cement board siding and for carpet tile instead of rolled carpet.
Colaianni also submitted the low individual bids for the general contract in the amount of $764,000 and for the electrical contract in the amount of $165,400. Peterman Plumbing & Heating of Dover, Ohio submitted the lowest bid of $64,00 for the plumbing work, and Flickenger Pipe Inc., also of Dover, submitted a lowest bid of $97,045 for the HVAC contract.
All bids were turned over to Dana Brooks of M&G Architects & Engineers Inc. - which designed the new Eastern Division Court building - for review and recommendation.
Commission Matt Coffland asked the contractors on hand Wednesday if the checklist included in the latest bid specifications helped them.
"We do apologize for the last time," Coffland said. "Not all of the forms were filled out the last time."
Contractors indicated that the checklist was helpful.
The county borrowed funds for the construction of the new Eastern Division Court, a project that developed years ago when Maroon Enterprises purchased the current court facility from the county with the intention of expanding the retail development in the area of Imperial Plaza in Bellaire. The court has continued to operate in the current facility, and the new building is expected to be constructed on adjacent property.
Once completed in early 2010, the new facility will include improved accommodations for the court, plus an unfinished office space which can be utilized by the county for other purposes.
In other action Wednesday, the board approved the payment of an invoice from M&G Architects & Engineers in the amount of $3,417 for the rebid of the Eastern Division Court Project.
Commissioners will hold a special meeting at 11 a.m. Friday near the main gate at the Belmont County Fair. No officials action will be taken during the meeting, but the public is invited to attend the open session, which the board traditionally holds during the fair.
Ayres can be reached at eayres@timesleaderonline.com
