Council approves demolition change order; members press for clearer bidding records and DLAP confirmation
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Summary
Council approved a change order with Empire Builders for demolition work and accepted state DLAP grant participation, but several members expressed concern about whether contracts were still open and whether competitive bidding had been bypassed; staff said they had spoken with the state and would provide documentation.
Clarksburg — The council voted to approve a change order with Empire Builders related to demolition work that included a $119,500 line item discussed in the meeting packet. Staff explained the work ties to a DLAP (Division of Environmental Protection) grant that originally funded demolition of multiple structures; council members acknowledged the grant deadline and said they did not want to forfeit available funds.
Several council members pressed staff to confirm whether the existing contracts were still open and asked for written confirmation from the state that competitive bidding requirements were satisfied or waived for the DLAP-funded work. One council member asked the manager’s office to provide the engineer’s written instruction sent to Empire Builders about a specific property (756 Locust Avenue) and to provide the DEMOLITION list and status of prior expenditures before the grant deadline.
Staff said they had spoken to the state and to the DLAP contact and that some funding is still available; they also said they would attempt to produce the requested correspondence from the city engineer and to clarify the contract status and grant conditions.
Council approved the resolution and change order after discussion; members asked staff to assemble the documentation for the record so members can confirm the legal and procurement positions.