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Board grants signing authority to speed roundabout contract on Old A Hundred And 46 in town
Summary
The Westfield Board of Public Works and Safety approved authority to sign a construction contract after a low bid under the engineer's estimate, enabling contractor mobilization and coordination with adjacent developers; the project remains utility-relocation dependent and slated for completion this year.
The Westfield Board of Public Works and Safety on a unanimous voice vote approved signing authority so staff can execute a contract for a roundabout project at the access road identified in the meeting as "Old A Hundred And 46 in town." The board voted to allow staff to sign a contract with the low bidder to avoid delaying construction.
City engineer John Veil told the board the project drew six bids and the low bid was "just under $2,000,000" compared with a $2,660,000 engineer's estimate, producing roughly $650,000 in savings. He said the low bidder is the same contractor currently working on 150th in town and that "the mobilization, demobilization cost should be relatively low for them to move south." The board approved authority for staff to sign the contract so the contractor could begin work rather than waiting until the next board meeting.
The nut graf: the authority speeds downtown-area work that the city and private developers have coordinated to maintain site access while construction proceeds. Veil said the city arranged phased construction to keep access open to nearby development and that the schedule aims to finish the roundabout by the end of the year, but the timeline is "utility relocation dependent."
In board discussion, members asked about coordination and access. Veil said the city coordinated traffic management with adjacent developers so the site can remain accessible during construction; he specifically referenced a nearby fitness center that "was wanting to break ground" and said the plan is to construct the roundabout first, then allow the developer to access their site from the roundabout. He described the long-term layout as a four-legged roundabout and said the eastern leg will be built by the city while an adjacent developer will continue frontage road work on the east side.
The motion to grant signing authority was made and seconded; the board voice-voted "Aye," and the chair declared the motion carried. Veil repeated that the city is working with utilities on relocation plans and noted that utility schedules will affect the construction timeline.
The board also clarified that the consent-agenda version of this action is the required signature on the cover sheet of the construction plans, a standard public-works requirement, and that the signing authority being approved covers formal award and contract execution at the low bid amount.
Looking ahead, the city expects the contractor to proceed quickly because the firm is already working nearby and has lower incremental mobilization costs, and staff will continue coordinating utility relocations and contractor traffic control.
