Summerville planning committee hears $913,000 quote for Lee Street sidewalks; considers phased in-house work and RFP

The Planning and Development Committee discussed sharply higher construction pricing for the Lee Street sidewalk and considered a mix of in-house work and a public RFP to limit cost.

Public works staff told the committee that a contractor quote obtained by piggybacking on Dorchester County's job-order contract was $913,000 for the full roughly 2,100-foot project. "The cost is 913,000," the staff member said, then noted the engineer-of-record estimate from last year was "a little less than 310,000." The staff member added that the higher contractor price reflected additional clearing, tree removal and higher traffic-control costs to keep vehicles moving along the road during work.

Committee members said the $913,000 figure would exhaust the town's sidewalk budget for the year. Committee discussion focused on two primary…