Amherst County service authority recommends awarding $351,834 bid for Gateway force main; supervisors question developer commitments

The Amherst County Service Authority presented a Gateway Project update and recommended awarding the construction contract for the Route 210 force main to Tony Construction of Forest, Virginia, for $351,834, the authority’s director told the Board of Supervisors during the board’s June meeting.

The authority’s director said the low bid was “under the engineer’s estimate,” and that the project would be paid with ARPA funds already obligated to the Authority under an ARPA subrecipient agreement with the county. He recommended pausing work on the project’s pumping-station and Morecambe property components (projects 1 and 2) until the developer submits a revised, Board‑of‑Supervisors‑approved site plan.

Why it matters: Board members said the county has already committed staff time and some funds to Gateway and pressed that the county should avoid advancing construction that primarily increases a private parcel’s value without firm developer commitments. Several supervisors said they want written assurances from the developer — such as a memorandum of understanding — before advancing more work beyond the force-main segment.

Project details and funding The director told the board…