Knott County awards AML-funded Miami Adventure Park contract to Bayless Campbell

Knott County Fiscal Court voted on June 17 to award the construction contract for the Miami (Manmade) Adventure Park project to Bayless Campbell Incorporated after bid tabulation showed Bayless Campbell submitted the lowest responsive bid at $1,377,390.30.

Speaker 1 told the court the project is 100% funded by Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) grants and related Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funds for paving, and will cost the county no local tax dollars. "This is 100% grant funded, and it takes $0 out of the budget of the Knott County fiscal court," Speaker 1 said while presenting the letter recommendation and bid tabulation.

According to the bid packet read into the record, MK Bills had a close bid but lacked complete paperwork required by RD (rural development) rules, leaving Bayless Campbell as the lowest responsive bidder. Speaker 1 recommended the court accept the bid with the noted deductive change order; the court moved and approved the recommendation by voice vote.

Commissioners and staff confirmed prior site work, required title and artifact reviews, and engineer involvement. Speaker 3 asked whether the award would impose costs on local taxpayers; Speaker 1 reiterated that the project is fully grant-funded and that unused grant funds would be returned to the grantor rather than county coffers.

The contract award includes standard grant oversight: site inspections by AML and ARC to confirm work aligns with grant conditions before final payments and associated ARC paving add-ons are completed. With the award approved, staff will finalize contract paperwork and proceed toward construction per the AML/ARC schedule.

The court's action follows the formal bid-opening process documented in the record and reflects the court's policy of prioritizing compliant, low responsive bids for grant-supported projects.