Pueblo West awards Homer Drive roadway contract after water-main work left roadbed unsettled

Pueblo West directors on May 20 approved awarding a contract to repair Homer Drive after a utilities project left the roadway substantially damaged.

Sean Winters, director of Operational Support, explained that street cuts required for an earlier water-main replacement adjacent to the roadway left the asphalt removed and, after settlement, the district opted to repair the road as a separate project. The district received two bids on May 2; the lowest responsive bid was from Old Castle SW Group Inc., doing business as United Companies, for $403,285. The project is funded from the district’s water capital allocation; staff reported $620,000 had been budgeted for the work.

Why it matters: the work restores a roughly quarter-mile section of roadway (approximately 1,700 linear feet by about 24 feet wide) that had been converted to gravel while utility work settled. Board members asked whether the contractor who performed the original utility work had bid to repave; staff said the original utility contractor was not a paving contractor and that, given the time lapse, previously contracted companies would not likely hold earlier prices.

Board members also raised broader procurement and accountability questions, noting numerous utility cuts across the district and asking how the district ensures contractors returning to repair cuts are vetted and that conflicts of interest are avoided. Winters and other staff said the procurement policy requires financial reviews, and staff referenced a separate maintenance contract for small utility cut patches that is proceeding under procurement rules for under‑threshold purchases.

The board moved the item from discussion to action and approved the award of IFB 2025-WA-20411 to United Companies for $403,285. Staff said construction funding was in the capital water fund and that the project is ready to begin.