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

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 rebidding.

Officials described the planned procurement as a base bid covering Matlack and Darlington intersections with an alternate for High Street, allowing the borough to choose a smaller initial scope if bids remain high. Gough said the team will coordinate with the grant provider and borough staff to confirm revised specifications won’t jeopardize previously awarded grant dollars. “We have to talk to the grant provider and just make sure that what we intend to do won't jeopardize the grant dollars that we've already been awarded,” she said.

Councilman Bernie Flynn pressed for speed, saying the process has already lost weeks. “Time is slipping away,” Flynn said. He and other members raised concerns about material lead times and repeated rebids causing further delays; Flynn cited examples of long waits for other borough purchases. Public Works official Don Edwards told the council he expects bidding documents to be ready in about a month and projected that the project would return to the council for a decision in August after the bid period and evaluation. “In a month from now, we should have the bidding documents ready to go back out for bids,” Edwards said.

Funding and scope: staff reported roughly $62,000 of unspent American Rescue Plan Act funds that could be applied to the project but acknowledged that figure would not cover the previous gap. Council members discussed estimated shortfalls ranging from approximately $150,000–$175,000 to complete Matlack, High and Darlington with the higher-spec removable systems, and one speaker estimated the borough was “roughly about $500,000 short” for a fuller scope. Gough said the borough received a $1.5 million bid that was 40% over budget and that no single solution satisfies all borough priorities — cost, construction feasibility, ease of deployment and crash resistance.

Technical and schedule risks: speakers flagged two implementation risks. First, material lead times could delay installation even after a contract is awarded; Flynn noted vendors might have lead times up to 12 months. Second, the borough must coordinate bid changes with the grant provider to avoid funding conflicts. Staff said they will structure the rebid so the base bid purchases removable infrastructure at the primary intersections and alternates cover additional locations and accessibility features, allowing the borough to decide which pieces to fund once bids arrive.

Discussion vs. action: the committee did not take a formal vote on the Gay Street work during the meeting. Instead, the council and staff agreed on next steps: RVE and borough staff will finalize revised bid documents, confirm grant compatibility, and issue the rebid; staff aim to advertise within about a month and return to the council with bids and a recommendation in August. Edwards characterized the current plan as a phased approach with future grant applications and potential budget adjustments to complete later phases at Walnut and Church and other intersections.

What’s next: staff will complete revised bidding documents and coordinate with the grant provider; the borough expects to present bids and budget options for a council decision after the rebid cycle, likely in August. Council members said they may consider budgeting additional funds if rebids continue to exceed available resources.