Council approves demolition contract for 2110 Old Benton Road after environmental checks

The Bossier City Council approved moving forward with demolition of 2110 Old Benton Road at its Jan. 20 meeting after opening sealed bids and discussing environmental safeguards.

City staff opened bids for P2607 (demolition of the former Nichols Lube building). The engineer’s estimate for the project was $40,000 and the project was declared surplus under ordinance 132 of 2025. Bids announced by staff included Lathan Construction LLC at $41,363, Sam’s Construction LLC at $140,000, and Strong’s Backhoe Service at $38,500.

Councilman Hammonds raised concerns that the $40,000 estimate appeared low, citing potential costs for filling pits and select fill and the length of historical site use. City staff and the project engineer responded that phase 1 and phase 2 environmental work had been completed earlier in connection with the property sale and that bidders were aware of DEQ requirements. Staff said hazardous waste discovered at the pit would be pressure-washed, vacuumed and disposed of according to DEQ and EPA guidelines and that soil testing before backfilling was required.

After discussion, Councilman Hammonds moved to approve proceeding with the bid process; the motion was seconded by Councilman Cliff Smith and carried by voice vote.

Provenance: staff opened bids and council discussed environmental and cost concerns during the P2607 bid-opening and subsequent Q&A before approving the motion to proceed.

Next steps: staff will move forward with contract award and require the selected contractor to comply with DEQ certification and soil testing prior to backfilling.