Two prior attempts for bid openings on the Casement ditch outfall structure project resulted in rejecting all of the bids submitted, as they came in much higher than expected. When this occurred, Riley County Public Works Director, Leon Hobson said they had to consider splitting the project into two separate parts to bring the cost down. Although the grading portion of the project has been completed, the concrete part has not.
During Monday’s Riley County Commission meeting, Hobson stated not only are there bidding issues, but the large amount of rainfall the past couple weeks has impacted the project significantly. He shared before and after pictures, which displayed a large amount of erosion. “It pretty much wiped out what was done already”, said Hobson.
A bid opening was held prior to Hobson’s presentation for the concerte portion of the outfall structure project. Three bids were submitted:
- Kolde Construction, Inc. of St. Marys- $252,495.80
- Van Nahman Construction, Inc. of Manhattan- $235,000
- Proshot Concrete, Inc. of Florence, Alabama- $588,895.50
All of these were much higher than the engineer’s estimate, which came in at $126,234.50.
Assistant County Engineer, Gary Rosewicz commented, “one of our big questions is, how much do you want to throw at this?”
Hobson stated he would consult with his staff, as well as the contractors, on how they should proceed. He will then return to the commission at a later date.
Another item Hobson presented involved the “Welcome to Manhattan” sign, which will be placed on the pier near Highway 177, across the bridge over the Kansas River. The commission approved the sign, as long as the insurance amount can be negotiated with the Kansas Department of Transportation from $2 million to $1 million.
