Council reviews stormwater and sewer equipment bids; capital sewer fund could cover purchase

Councilors reviewed bids for a stormwater project identified in the meeting as the Mossberg stormwater project (the name was also spoken as Vossberg in the meeting) and a separate set of bids for heavy equipment tied to sewer capital work. Staff reported bids from several contractors for the equipment and stormwater work, including Linde Corporation at about $76,772, T. Brennan Heavy Equipment at $59,550, James T. O'Hara at $98,665, and Sikorsky at $86,754. The council noted a capital sewer fund balance cited in the discussion of approximately $95,000 that could be applied toward the purchase or contract. Council members emphasized that the engineer must review bids for responsiveness and to identify the lowest responsible bidder. Staff said three or four bids were under $100,000 and that, if a low bid is qualified, the town could proceed without returning to allocate additional funds. No contract award or formal vote was taken at the special meeting. Councilors asked staff to check for prior experience with specific vendors and to have the engineers inspect the bids and vendor qualifications; staff said the engineers would visit the site and pick up bid packages the following day. The agenda item will return next week with the engineer’s recommendation.