Council awards Buck/Glenwood roundabout contract to Vernon Nagle, declares emergency

The Rossford City Council voted to award the Buck/Glenwood Roundabout construction contract (ODOT PID 117851) to Vernon Nagle and declared an emergency so work can begin on an expedited schedule.

City staff explained the bid process and recommended Vernon Nagle after finding the apparent low bidder (E.R. Zeiler Excavating) unresponsive to the city’s small disadvantaged business requirements and unable to produce a required corrective action plan. City administration said re‑bidding would delay the project into next year and impede nearby economic development that depends on the intersection being completed.

Officials described differing cost figures in the discussion. Staff stated an engineer's estimate of approximately $2.694 million, and also referenced an earlier engineer estimate in the $2.0 million range; the two figures appeared in separate remarks during the discussion. Bid amounts announced in the meeting included a Zeiler low bid of about $2,000,004.68 and a Vernon Nagle bid of about $3,078,000, according to staff remarks.

City staff said they will pursue value engineering and negotiate an early‑start plan if Council approved the contract; an initial start window was described as mid‑May. The administration also cited a routine inflation adjustment (1.8%) and the need to maintain traffic flow for businesses during construction.

During roll call the ordinance was adopted on a voice vote; the roll‑call names and recorded responses in the transcript were: Ethel (aye); Finney (aye); Owen (aye); Scottzenbach (aye); Reynolds (aye); Toth (aye); Oberndorf (aye). The transcript shows the motion to declare an emergency and the subsequent adoption were moved and seconded before the roll call.

Next steps: With the contract awarded and emergency declared, staff indicated they will negotiate value‑engineering adjustments and coordinate staging to minimize traffic disruption and support scheduled development in the area.