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Council staff seek bids award and underground power work for Grama drainage project
Summary
City staff asked the council to select a construction inspection firm and award a competitive bid for the Grama drainage project and to approve a separate contract to bore underground electrical conduit beneath a ravine and unopened right-of-way, citing neighbor sensitivities and difficult access.
City staff asked the Fairhope City Council during its work session to select a professional construction inspection firm and to award the low bid for a drainage project at the Grama/Bond Secours area, and to approve related undergrounding of an aerial electric circuit that runs down a steep, unopened right-of-way.
The request matters because the project combines a drainage repair and an electrical relocation that staff said will resolve a recurring access and safety problem and reduce future roadway repair needs. Staff said they received eight competitive bids on the drainage contract and recommended awarding the construction contract to the low bidder, C Thornton Incorporated. They also asked the council to consider a separate contract to bore conduit underground through difficult terrain, recommending a low bid from Alon Boring for $89,800.
Staff said the drainage site includes an unopened right-of-way with a deep ravine and limited access, and that the aerial power circuit there is essentially point-to-point with only one drop-off. The undergrounding proposal calls for four 4-inch conduits (three to carry service conductors plus a spare) and, in total, about 3,200 linear feet of boring (four runs of about 800 feet each). A staff member told the council the $89,800 figure covers the pipe and bore; the city would procure conductor and terminations separately, noting a minimum wire order of about $10,000.
Staff emphasized the need for professional construction engineering and inspection (CEI) given neighbors' sensitivities over easements and restoration. The project team asked that CEI services be selected so inspectors can enforce restoration, easement work and other conditions during construction.
Council members asked technical questions about the length and the number of conduits. A staff member confirmed the plan uses four 4-inch bores, providing redundancy and a spare conduit for future replacement pulls. Staff said some installation work beyond the bore — pulling lines, ordering wire and terminators, and final terminations — would be done in-house.
No final council vote was recorded in the work-session excerpt; staff asked the council to consider selection of the CEI firm and awarding of the construction and boring contracts at the upcoming meeting.
The staff presentation included a handout and on-site visits with council members before bid advertising; staff said that approach yielded competitive bids and confidence in the cost estimates.
Looking ahead, staff said the undergrounding and drainage construction would proceed in parallel so that power work clears the site for drainage repairs and to avoid repeated access to the difficult ravine.
