Tennille Mayor and City Council opted to review the bids received to demolish the City’s former recreation building before making any official decision at their Monday, July 19 City Council meeting.
Tennille Mayor Eartha Cummings opened the sealed bids during the July 19 City Council meeting. She stated that the City received three bids to demolish the commercial building and accessory property located at 515 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Tennille.
The bids included the following:
– Washington County Machine Shop in the amount of $19,800
– Middle Georgia Land Improvements in the amount of $7,350
– E&D Contracting Services in the amount of $37,000
After opening all three bids, Mayor Cummings stated that it might be best for the City of Tennille’s Building Official/Special Projects Coordinator Mike Wiggins to review the bids to make sure that everyone was bidding on the same specifications.
Mayor Cummings stated that the City received some questions during the bid process regarding the project.
“We had questions in relation to asbestos – who would be responsible for getting that tested — as well as making sure all of the utilities were disconnected,” said Mayor Cummings.
City Attorney Michael Howard remarked that there was a huge discrepancy between all the bids received.
When discussing the City’s plans to review the bids before making a decision, City Attorney Howard stated that after opening the bids during a public meeting, the bids became public knowledge, and that the City’s next step is to ensure that the contractors are bidding on the same thing.
“The environmental issues are the huge things because that’s a high dollar item,” said City Attorney Howard. “That [any potential environmental issues] add up, and they add up quick; certainly, we want the bids to compensate for that.”
City Attorney Howard stated that once a determination is made regarding the bids, he [City Attorney Howard] will draft a contract between the City and the contractor.
Mayor Pro-Tem Brainard Crawford questioned City Attorney Howard regarding the process going forward as it relates to the three bids received.
“The bidding is closed, and nobody can come in from this point forward to give a bid,” said City Attorney Howard. He added, “But we can give ourselves some time to investigate the bids.”
Councilperson David Hartley remarked that going forward, the City should be more specific with the bid process. Mayor Cummings stated that she agreed with Councilperson Hartley.
No action was taken regarding the bids at the Monday, July 19 City Council meeting.