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Gay Street closure bids come in far above estimate; borough to redesign and consider removable bollards
Summary
Bids for Gay Street closure infrastructure exceeded the borough's $973,000 budget, with the low bid roughly $1.5 million. Staff recommended rejecting bids, asking RVE to produce a lower-cost design and exploring removable stainless-steel bollards and other alternatives to the proprietary Matador system to meet safety and budget goals.
West Chester Borough staff recommended rejecting all bids for the Gay Street closure infrastructure after the low bid and two others came in about $1.5 million — well above the borough—s available $973,000 funding — and presented lower-cost alternatives for consideration.
Kelly Groff, an engineer with RVE, will be asked to redesign the project to fit the borough's budget, staff said. The staff report showed material-only quotes for the previously specified Matador sliding-bollard system were about $800,000, a major driver of the total cost.
Staff discussed alternative approaches, including buying material directly to cut taxes and handling freight separately, using removable stainless-steel bollards in lower-impact areas, and reserving the Matador system for the highest-risk locations. "We might look at removable bollards," one council member said, explaining the borough could have public works install steel bollards that staff could remove for events or emergency access. Staff said removable bollards could meet police crash-rating requirements in many locations and would reduce excavation needs and shipping costs.
Council members and staff also discussed project timing. Engineers recommended starting in January to avoid fourth-quarter work; staff noted some grant monies must be spent before the end of 2026. Because three contractors returned bids within 6% of one another, staff concluded the bids reflected market prices and recommended re-evaluating the design and procurement strategy rather than accepting the bids.
No formal contract award was approved at the meeting. Instead, the administration will ask RVE to revisit the specifications and return with options that preserve safety and ease of installation while fitting the borough—s budget.
