Pocomoke City approves Cornish Concrete contract to repair 25 meter pits on Walnut Street

Pocomoke City’s mayor and council on March 2 approved a contract with Cornish Concrete Construction to repair meter pits and adjacent sidewalk areas on Walnut Street.

City manager Miss Matthews told the council the contract covers work on 25 water meter pits created during prior meter-replacement work and that the city’s Public Works department currently lacks the manpower to complete the repairs. “Before you is the contract for Cornish Concrete Construction to…approve; there are 25 water pits that need to be repaired on this specific street,” she said.

Council members pressed staff on procurement. One councilmember noted that the city received only one competitive bid, and another said the damage dates to September 2023 and that the city had waited roughly three years without action. Miss Matthews acknowledged that Public Works would normally have performed the repairs but that an outside contractor was required because of staffing constraints. She also identified an alternate price “a little over $14,000,” and council members said the Cornish price was about half of that.

Councilman Marshall moved to approve the Cornish Concrete bid and begin repairs immediately; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. After the vote the mayor and council thanked Miss Matthews for the presentation.

The council did note a procurement concern: multiple members said future public-works contracts should come to the full council when bids are received and that the city should seek more than one bid when feasible. Miss Matthews indicated work would begin as soon as weather permits.

The council did not provide a detailed contract price or contractor start date on the record; those details were described in the staff presentation and will be finalized by city staff.