Evansville Board approves METS vehicle purchase, engineering contract and several right-of-way permits; advertises mill-and-overlay bids

The Evansville Board of Public Works on March 20, 2025 approved a package of procurement and permitting actions that included buying two hybrid SUVs for the city transit system, renewing a $25,000 on-call engineering contract, approving multiple right-of-way permits and advertising bids for the 2025 mill-and-overlay Phase 2 project.

The approvals came during a regularly scheduled 1:30 p.m. BPW meeting held by the City of Evansville. Board members voted on each item after brief staff presentations; public comment was not recorded on these agenda items.

The most costly single purchase approved was for two hybrid sport-utility vehicles for the Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS). "We were requesting approval to purchase these two hybrid SUVs from Kenny Kent," said Mr. Sibikin, a city staff member. The board approved buying the vehicles at $56,624.25 each under RFQ 010-12-2025 after staff said there were no competitive bids and the city returned to the vendor. The purchase price includes vehicle upfitting for CB radios and flashing lights; staff said Advanced Radio Communication will perform the upfitting as a third party so the vehicles will arrive ready for service.

The board also approved a $25,000 contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering LLC for on-call professional engineering services. "We would like to request approval of the…