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Board approves routine claims, a bridge‑steel contract, Pinecrest change‑work and a used mini excavator purchase
Summary
Supervisors approved weekly claims of $638,183.24, awarded a steel‑materials bid for a bridge project, authorized Pinecrest exterior renovation work to proceed, and voted to purchase a used mini excavator for $71,300; vendors and staff described cost pressures, lead times and warranty terms.
The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on July 7 approved routine claims, multiple procurement items and a Pinecrest renovation change request after presentations by county staff.
County finance staff reported total bill payments of $638,183.24, including $3,091.25 from a sixty‑forty fund and a $92,359 workers' compensation down payment; the board voted to authorize those expenditures and directed the county auditor to issue payments.
On procurement, County Engineer Catherine (Cathy/Catherine) Nicholas recommended awarding a steel‑materials contract to Odin Enterprises (Wahoo, Nebraska) for project L‑3031 (Amesborough Avenue), noting the low bid of $96,595.28 was roughly 35% above the engineer’s estimate. "So unfortunately our engineer's estimate was about 35% under our lowest bid," Nicholas said, explaining rising structural‑steel prices and extended lead times (now four to five months) as rationale to secure the material despite the gap.
The board also approved moving forward with a request for $200,738 in additional exterior renovation work at the Pinecrest Renovation Project after Facilities Director Roy Giving described discovered foundation damage and the need for new storefronts, stoops, frost footings and approaches. Giving said crews found a lack of frost footings on three entryways and significant internal damage once flooring was removed, and recommended phased work to allow continued use of the building during construction.
For capital equipment, the board approved purchasing a 2024 John Deere mini excavator with attachments from Murphy Tractor (Waterloo) for $71,300. Justin Lockwood of Murphy Tractor told the board the machine carries a comprehensive warranty "up to 5 years from the purchase date or $2,000" and that a used machine met the county’s specifications while staying under the $83,000 budgeted line.
Separately, the board approved an IRS Form 720 payment of $2,328.11 for the county’s Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute fee as required under the Affordable Care Act; staff characterized the payment as an annual fee required of health plans.
All recorded procurement motions carried by the board’s affirmative votes; staff said some projects will require later formal change orders with design backups and that Pinecrest timeline depends on material lead times.
