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State College waives contractor rule, re-advertises construction bids and awards site work for Action Sports Park
Summary
After no bidders met the borough's new responsible‑contractor standard, council voted to waive that requirement for the Action Sports Park construction, re‑advertise the construction contract and award the site‑work contract to WG Land Company LLC for $568,339.
State College Borough Council voted to waive its recently adopted responsible‑contractor requirement for the Action Sports Park construction contract and to re‑advertise that portion of the project after staff reported no qualified bids. Council then awarded the separate site‑work contract to WG Land Company LLC for $568,339.
The council vote to waive the responsible‑contractor language came after the borough manager, Tom Fontaine, told members that two sealed construction bids had been received but neither met the ordinance's contractor qualifications following solicitor review. Fontaine said the project is funded by multiple state grants and borough funds and that several grant awards have expiration dates that make timely completion important.
Council President Myers said he was “quite disappointed” that no qualified contractor had bid but supported moving forward so the project would not be delayed. Myers and other council members urged the borough to develop a list of contractors that meet the ordinance's standards so more firms can bid in the future.
The site‑work contract had been let before the responsible‑contractor ordinance took effect. Fontaine recommended awarding that contract to WG Land Company LLC, and council approved the award. Councilmember Kasab registered the lone recorded dissent.
Councilmembers debated the ordinance's effects and the potential tradeoffs between enforcing contractor standards and completing time‑sensitive projects that carry outside grant deadlines.
The resolution to waive the responsible‑contractor requirement directs staff to re‑advertise the construction bid with the borough's current procurement documents; the site‑work award allows early project mobilization while construction bids are readvertised.
Council also heard remarks thanking staff and union leaders for help trying to identify qualified bidders and asked staff to report back on contractor outreach efforts and options to attract qualified firms to future bids.
