Connellsville awards $66,900 boat‑ramp extension contract to KGD Contracting after sealed bids

Connellsville City Council on July 17 opened sealed bids for a boat‑ramp extension project and voted to accept a $66,900 bid from KGD Contracting, pending review by the city engineer and city solicitor.

Council heard a full bid opening in which multiple contractors submitted base and alternate prices. Officials said the base bid covers an extension of the existing ramp to a permanently submerged depth and the alternate would add ADA parking and a short walkway to accommodate a future floating dock. Carrie (city staff) told council the floating dock itself was estimated at roughly $45,000–$50,000 when the grant was first issued, though the exact current cost was “around 50 or so now,” and that dock purchase is not included in the base contract.

The bid opening showed a range of offers: KGD Contracting listed a base bid of $58,000 and an alternate of $66,900; bids from other firms ranged from about $58,000 (other bidders) up to more than $280,000 in one listing. Council voted to accept KGD’s $66,900 figure; the clerk recorded unanimous approval by the mayor and council members present.

Why it matters: city officials said the extension will restore permanent boat access at a deeper, safer location and that adding ADA parking and a gangway would improve accessibility for anglers and residents with disabilities. Councilors and staff also discussed how the city will install and remove the floating dock for high water or ice events. Carrie said the manufacturer would perform the initial installation and train public‑works staff on seasonal removal and reinstallation, and that posts and chains would anchor the dock.

During discussion, staff and council addressed permitting and environmental oversight. Carrie said the project required coordination with the state agencies that had already been involved in the project’s earlier stages, and that cost estimates and sequencing (cast‑in‑place sections to the water’s edge, then precast slabs) had been part of the plan.

Council asked whether any additional equipment or trailer would be needed to remove and store the floating dock during high water. Carrie said initial installation would be done by the dock manufacturer; subsequent seasonal handling would be performed by public‑works staff and may require planning for transport and winter storage. Staff noted the alternate (ADA parking and walkway) would use additional grant funds if available and that if bids came in under budget, some remaining grant money might be applied to dock purchase or related work.

Council passed the motion to accept KGD Contracting’s bid 66,900 pending engineer and solicitor review. The resolution language noted acceptance was contingent on those reviews. No protest or challenge was recorded at the meeting.

The council also discussed next steps: review by the city engineer and solicitor, and coordination with the river‑park and public‑works departments for staging, parking and removal plans for the dock during flood or ice events.

The project drew the largest public discussion of the meeting because of its size, the number of contractors that bid and the operational questions about removing the dock for floods and winter storage. Staff said the city would return to council with additional information on the dock manufacturer’s installation plan and any needed equipment purchases.