West Chester to rebid Gay Street market-closure project after $1.5 million over-budget bid

Summary

Borough staff and engineers told the council they will restructure bid specifications and rebid the Gay Street closure project after prior bids came in about 40% over budget; staff aim to release bidding documents in about a month and return with results in August, while available ARPA funds of about $62,000 may partially offset the gap.

West Chester borough officials said Tuesday they will revise bid specifications and rebid a project to install removable barriers on Gay Street used during the borough’s open-air markets, after earlier bids returned roughly 40% above the borough’s available budget.

The decision follows a presentation by Kelly Gough, a consulting engineer with Remington & Vernick Engineers (RVE), who said the previous bid came in at about $1.5 million and that the borough is exploring a restructured procurement to introduce more competition. “We have been reviewing alternate products, considering the various criteria that the borough needs, and that includes feasibility of construction, price, ease of deployment,” Gough said.

Why it matters: the closure system is intended to make Gay Street safer and manageable during spring, summer and fall markets by allowing the borough to close selected blocks with removable bollards or barricades. The project has been delayed by procurement and budget shortfalls; borough leaders said coordinate with the grant funder and finalize new bid specs are necessary steps before…

West Chester to rebid Gay Street market-closure project after $1.5 million over-budget bid

Summary

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