No contracted paving projects are planned in Owensville this summer as only one bid was received and it was deemed too high.

City Administrator Randy Blaske said the Owensville Board of Aldermen on July 5 rejected the lone bid received and will try again later this year to seek pricing for asphalt milling and paving services for spring 2023 work. He said the city hopes to do “more volume” work next spring if costs come back in line.

N.B. West Contracting had submitted the only bid for the city’s planned 2022 summer work list by the advertised deadline of June 28. N.B. West had quoted the base bid list of work for $258,376.65 and with options A, B, C, D, and E, the Pacific, Mo., based paver’s bid total was $438,194.40.

And, as the paving firm’s representative noted on the tabulation page listing the six different portions of the proposed project, N.B. West “may not be able to complete by August 31st.”

Blaske said the city was told the higher-than-anticipated cost for the entire project was based on higher costs for materials used to make asphalt and fuel to transport it to the work zone. And, the firm’s asphalt batch plant in Cuba was not in operation.

“And, they couldn’t commit to doing the work until September or October,” said Blaske noting the firm cited manpower issues as a factor in their ability to complete contracted work on the city’s schedule.

Instead, Blaske said city public works employees will do several smaller project “in house” such as repairs to sections of streets like Third near Highway 28. City workers will dig out soft spots, fill and compact with rock, and fill with hot patch asphalt they can haul themselves in 10 to 12-ton batches. 

“We’ve rejected the bid and will patch problem areas in house,”  said Blaske of their action this past Tuesday. The city’s regularly scheduled first meeting of the month on the first Monday of the month was moved back one day until Tuesday due to the Independence Day holiday.

The city’s 2022 bid advertisement sought pricing for milling edges and filling with 2-inch asphalt overlays on L&D DRive from Highway 28 to the end of the pavement, Roller Drive from L&D Drive to the end of the pavement, West Franklin from Fourth to Sixth, and South Fifth from West Jefferson to West Jackson.

Option A was for planned mill and fill work on South Hickory from Highway 28 to East Peters ($43,381.85).

Option B was for work on South Cuba from East Monroe to East Franklin ($47,951). This portion of the bid specified a 4-inch overlay of asphalt.

Option C was for work on South Cuba from East Madison to East Monroe ($53,83.40). The bid specified a 4-inch overlay of asphalt.

Option D was for work on Roller Drive  from the end of the pavement to the gate, with a 4-inch asphalt overlay ($14,266.25).

And, Option E, a 2-inch overlay, was for work on West Franklin from Sixth to Seventh ($20,345.40).