Blair Council reviews paving bids for Grand and Clark avenues; engineer to verify lowest responsible bidder

Blair Council members reviewed competitive bids for a paving project covering Grand Avenue and a portion of Clark Avenue during a special meeting at 7:05 p.m. The council heard that one bidder submitted $438,729.38 and another submitted $376,670, while the council’s paving budget for the work was cited as $400,000. The matter matters because the lowest-bid determination will affect which streets are paved and how the town’s paving budget is allocated. Council members noted the project scope was changed from the original plan — which had included all of Grand Avenue and all of Clark Avenue — to a reduced scope covering Grand Avenue and a portion of Clark Avenue. Council discussion focused on whether the apparent low bid was within budget and whether contractors were qualified. The council discussed prior experience with local contractors and said engineers would review all bids to determine the lowest responsible bidder and verify compliance with the bid requirements. No formal award or motion was recorded at the meeting. Council members and staff agreed to place the item on the consent or action agenda for next week pending the engineers’ review and confirmation that the apparent low bidder is responsible and qualified. If the engineer certifies a qualified low bidder, the council indicated it would vote on the award at the next meeting. Less-critical details discussed included budget adjustments because of prior paving on South Shore and clarifications about how much of Clark Avenue remains in the project after the scope change.