Council tables wastewater bid, trails resolution
Group supports increasing city’s monthly credit card limit to $25,000
The Forrest City City Council tabled several agenda items during Tuesday's meeting in the absence of Mayor Cedric Williams.
Council member Louise Fields served as mayor pro tem in Williams’ absence.
The first item tabled was a request to allow the city to enter into a contract with Crow Construction for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant.
Edward Gregory, director of the Forrest City Water Department, explained that the city, engineers and water department officials had made changes to the project due to some items, such as the UV system, already being completed.
He told council members that the new bid from Crow Construction, with the changes, is $1,685,500 and closer to the anticipated project cost.
Gregory explained that the amount is still over what was expected but the water department could pay the extra out of its budget. "Going back to rebid risks the amount going up," he said.
In a previous meeting, two bids were opened for the project with three alternatives in the bids for the city to consider. While Crow Construction was the lowest bid at that time, the pricing on the alternatives was above the amount received by the department through a Natural Resource Commission water quality loan. Because of that, the council, at that time, voted to rebid the updates as separate projects in hopes of bringing the costs down.
However, there was some confusion during Tuesday’s meeting regarding that vote.
Councilman Marvin Metcalf said he wasn't comfortable not allowing the process go out to bid again to both companies and that the new amount from Crow
Construction is much lower than the original bid.
"I can explain some of that," said Gregory.
Gregory, councilman Danny Capps, Keith Britton and engineers from Iconic Consulting Group, along with Paul Strickland, with Garver Engineering, explained that due to Crow being the lowest bidder it was common practice to enter into negotiations with low bidders to see if the price could be lowered to what was expected.
Britton was the primary engineer for the project with Strickland being the consulting engineer who specializes in water treatment projects.
After receiving more information from the city, the company adjusted their bid to reflect the changes as well as to better reflect the costs of the project due to information being shared with the company that allowed them to better estimate the costs.
According to the paperwork provided to the council, the project would not include repairs or modifications to existing concrete decking and walkways, repairs or replacements of existing clarifier grout beds, any work related to existing aeration basins, or work relating to existing electrical equipment.
Metcalf said he still was not in favor of entering into the contract.
"Rebidding is dangerous and puts the person who is low bidding with all the cuts at a severe disadvantage," said Capps.
Councilman Chris Oswalt said he was under the impression, too, that the entire project would be sent out to bid, but the mayor or his representative had the power to accept bids.
"Do we know if the mayor will accept this bid as the low bid?" asked Oswalt.
(Continued from Page 1) Due to Williams not being at the meeting, the council voted to table the matter until they could get clarification from the mayor as to whether he accepted the bid or not. Council members Oswalt, Metcalf, Ronald Williams, Lowry Astin and Fields voted to the table the matter, while Capps voted against the move. Councilmen Jason Evansingston and Justin Reeves did not attend the meeting.
A resolution expressing the city’s willingness to utilize federal aid recreational trails program funds to make hiking and biking trail improvements was also tabled.
Metcalf said he is concerned about the upfront costs. "I have a problem that the city has to take responsibility for the entire amount up front," he said.
Other council members also had questions about the projects noted in the resolution.
"Without knowing what the full plan is, I cannot vote for this right now," said Oswalt.
Due to a motion being on the floor prior to the matter being discussed, the voted against the resolution due to procedural requirements, before asking that it be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
The council did approve an increase to the city's credit card limit after city clerk Derene Cochran explained that the amount is only $10,000. She said that because the credit card is used by all of the city’s departments to purchase items, the limit is reached quickly.
"It needs to be increased," she said.
Originally, the agenda showed the council would consider increasing the limit to $50,000, a number that had several members hesitant to approve.
On Cochran’s suggestion, the council voted to allow the limit to be increased to $25,000.
The council also received one bid from Wynne Sports World for baseball uniforms that outlined costs per shirt for youth and adult sizes for solid T-shirts, button shirts and hats.
The council also heard first readings of several ordinances including permitting the payment of city funds on behalf of AR&R Transitional Living, Inc., allowing a payment on behalf of the Rumble of the Ridge Basketball Tournament and allowing the payment of Advertising and Promotion Funds for catering events to Delta Q Restaurant.
These ordinances are required due to Roy Hamilton, Cedric Williams and Justin Reeves holding positions in the city as well as with the entities mentioned. The ordinances require three readings before a vote can be taken.
The council also approved bill payments from general for $57,544.19; street for $10,472.90; solid waste for $44,536.32 and water for $52,355.54.