Cottage Grove approves $2.74 million pavement contract after resident raises contractor, park concerns

The Cottage Grove City Council voted March 19 to award the 2025 Pavement Management Project to McNamara Contracting Inc. in the amount of $2,739,406.95, after hearing public comment from a Hidden Valley homeowner who urged the city to reconsider the low bidder because of third‑party online reviews and raised separate concerns about planned park additions.

The resident, Kelly Dawn, told the council she had collected “the reviews that I was able to get” about McNamara and asked what the city’s contract requires if a contractor damages personal property. Dawn also said the second‑lowest bid was about $57,906 higher — “about $255 per homeowner” by her calculation — and asked whether the city would consider paying that premium for a contractor with better reviews. She asked the council to review the planned park addition for Hidden Valley, saying the neighborhood was not consulted and that the $78,000 in park additions included features many neighbors do not want, such…