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 options: (1) have the town's public-works crews build an initial 500-foot section in-house, and (2) run a full RFP for the entire 2,100-foot alignment to see if competitive bids come in lower than the piggyback quote.

A staff member described technical constraints on the more difficult 1,600-foot segment, including open ditches and driveway pipe relocations that likely require piping in some sections. The staff member said a property owner on the corridor has refused to sign slope easements unless a ditch is piped, and that the existing design's one-foot terrace leading to an open ditch is not conducive to pedestrian use and raises erosion concerns.

Committee members discussed tradeoffs. One member said building the first 500 feet in-house would "at least get the pedestrians onto Woodland" where they could access the Sawmill Branch Trail and existing paths near Bacons Bridge. Another member suggested issuing an RFP for the full 2,100-foot project and, if necessary, then performing a portion in-house to lower costs. The committee directed staff to proceed with preparing an RFP for the full project and to bring results back for later decisions.

The committee did not commit to immediate construction beyond in-house work options. Members repeatedly stated a preference to memorialize next steps with council direction after seeing RFP pricing. The committee also asked staff to revisit design questions with the engineer of record to evaluate piping alternatives and slope easement implications.

Details and context: Staff said the town currently budgets roughly $500,000 for sidewalk work this year; the engineer estimate last year was about $310,000 and staff rounded it to $350,000 for planning. The piggyback contractor quote of $913,000 was described as consuming the sidewalk allocation for the year. The committee emphasized that longer procurement via RFP might yield lower bids but would delay construction versus piggybacking on Dorchester County's contract.

The Planning and Development Committee voted earlier in the meeting to send items a through f (which include this subject) to the full council for consideration; that procedural motion was made and seconded and carried by voice vote.

What happens next: Staff will prepare an RFP for the full 2,100-foot Lee Street sidewalk alignment, revisit drainage/piping options with the project engineer, and report RFP results and a recommended path (in-house phased build vs. contractor completion) back to council for further direction.