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Council approves 2026 Anderson Street improvements, awards concrete contract to low bidder
Summary
After a public hearing and extended debate about lifecycle and cost, the Manchester City Council approved plan specifications for the 2026 Anderson Street project and voted to award the contract to Eastern Iowa Excavating using the concrete alternate. Staff said the low concrete bid was roughly $1,140,000, about $300,000 under estimate.
The Manchester City Council on Monday approved the plan specifications and awarded the contract for the 2026 Anderson Street improvements, adopting staff’s recommendation to proceed with a concrete option and awarding the low bid to Eastern Iowa Excavating.
City staffer Erin opened the public hearing on the project, saying seven bids were received with the lowest concrete offer about 20% below the city’s estimate. "Our estimate for the concrete option was 1,440,000 and the low bid for the concrete option for Eastern Iowa came in at 1,140,000," Erin said, citing a roughly $300,000 shortfall versus the estimate. She recommended concrete because of longer projected life-cycle performance despite higher initial cost versus asphalt.
Council members engaged a detailed discussion on trade-offs. Some members argued that concrete streets can last decades with proper base preparation; others noted asphalt’s lower upfront cost and simpler, less disruptive short-term repairs. The council asked technical questions about pavement thickness, base work and future mill-and-overlay costs; staff noted asphalt might require a significant mill-and-overlay schedule over time while concrete required greater initial base preparation.
After debate, a councilor moved and the council voted to select the concrete alternate and to authorize award of the contract to Eastern Iowa Excavating. Council recorded the award as substantially under the city’s original estimate (staff characterized the low bid as about 20.8% under estimate).
The approval covered plan specifications and award; staff said a later step would finalize final construction choices for alternates in the contract documents and coordinate project phasing and schedule. Work is expected to begin once contractor scheduling and required permits are in place.
