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Committee advances Barbary Woods bid and approves Howell Avenue MOA with county
Summary
The Public Works Utilities Committee reviewed a low bid for the Barbary Woods stormwater project and approved a memorandum of agreement with Charleston County that documents up to $200,000 in in‑kind services as matching value for a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant of up to $1,000,000 for Howell Avenue drainage work.
The Public Works Utilities Committee met and was updated on two major stormwater efforts: the Barbary Woods project, which has an apparent low construction bid just above $5.8 million, and the Howell Avenue green‑infrastructure project, for which the county will provide in‑kind services as grant match.
Matt Fountain, the stormwater project lead, told the committee the Barbary Woods solicitation produced “an apparent low bid, just over $5,800,000,” which he said is within the project budget. Fountain said the city has a construction set‑aside of about $7,600,000 for the project, providing contingency. He also flagged a restricted tree‑clearing window connected to protected bat species, and said the city plans an accelerated council process so construction can begin in February and continue into late 2025.
Fountain described the Howell Avenue item as a memorandum of agreement with Charleston County tied to a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant of up to $1,000,000 for construction. Under the MOA, the county agreed to provide up to $200,000 in in‑kind excavating and hauling services to help remove construction debris used historically to fill a borrow area on the site. He said bids for Howell Avenue are due in early January 2025, with planned construction from February to August 2025.
Committee members asked about budgeting and partner roles. Fountain said the county contribution is documented to satisfy matching requirements for the federal grant and that the city will procure the construction contractor. The committee voted to approve the MOA and noted the fast timeline tied to ecological constraints and grant conditions.
The committee did not take final contract awards at this meeting; both projects will move through council review and normal procurement steps before construction contracts are executed.
