Council orders Kirk Street improvements, rejects mailbox upgrade alternate and awards base bid

The Greenfield City Council voted 4–1 to order roadway improvements for Kirk Street (Resolution 2026-41) and then approved a separate motion to accept the apparent low bidder for the base bid only, declining an alternate that would replace mailboxes with swing-away units. Council member Matthew McSheehy cast the lone no vote on the order of improvement; the vote to order the improvement carried "4 to 1."

City engineer Ron reported five bids opened July 29 and said the lowest bid was only slightly above the city's construction cost estimate. He described how unit pricing and engineer verification of quantities lead to mandatory change orders when in-the-field conditions differ from estimates. The alternate mailbox package would add about $13,000 to the contract; council members said most residents prefer to keep their existing mailbox locations and that the alternate represented an unnecessary per-household charge. "If you divide out $13,000 by 35 residents, that's a pretty big bill for a resident to move a mailbox," one council member said.

Council clarified that significant change orders are brought to council for approval and that staff will finalize contract closeout and payment details on Greenfield Road at a future meeting. The council amended the award motion to name the apparent low bidder as Mid Minnesota Hot Mix of Annandale, Minnesota for the base bid only.