Milford Town Council heard Commonwealth Engineers’ recommendation to accept R. Yoder Construction’s bid on water improvement projects at a special meeting Thursday, Feb. 27. Bids for street work through a Community Crossings matching grant were also opened. Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall, left, is pictured opening a bid envelope. Also pictured is council member Ken Long. Photo by Lilli Dwyer.

By Lilli Dwyer
InkFreeNews

MILFORD — Milford Town Council held a special meeting Thursday, Feb. 27 to hear Commonwealth Engineers’ recommendation on which bid to accept for its water utility improvement projects.

Planned improvements include looping of dead-end water mains, removal of lead water lines, installation of a mixer in the water tower and a new filtration system. Mandatory alternatives include additional paving, removal of an interior wall in the existing well building, and replacement of a natural gas generator with a diesel generator.

There were two bidding divisions: Division A, for water treatment; and Division B, for water lines.

Ryan Lareau of Commonwealth Engineers recommended the council accept the bid from R. Yoder Construction of Nappanee

R. Yoder’s bid was $3,702,074 and $6,961 in mandatory alternatives. This came the closest to Commonwealth’s $3,595,000 engineering estimate for water improvement projects. The bid is $114,000 over the estimate, but this difference is covered by a $500,000 contingency included with the estimate.

“We have had good experiences with R. Yoder in the past, they’ve got a good reputation, they’re local. We’ve got no hesitations with them,” said Lareau.

The council decided to accept the bid, pending approval by bond council. The council cannot officially award R. Yoder until closing with the State Revolving Fund.

There were no bids for Division B.

Lareau recommended the council rebid immediately, with a new deadline of April 14. This would push the closing date for both divisions to May 8.

He also suggested extending the construction deadline from seven months out to nine or 10 months out.

The council agreed to this plan. If there are still no bids, Lareau added, the council and Town Attorney Jay Rigdon have the option to directly negotiate with a single contractor.

Additionally, the council opened two bids for street work to be done with funds from the Community Crossings Matching Grant program.

Brooks Construction Company of Elkhart bid $186,878.

Phend & Brown of Milford bid $202,955.10.

The deadline to accept one of the bids is Friday, March 7. Gall will be reviewing the bid information and another meeting will be held before that date for the council to make a final decision.

The next regular Milford Town Council meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, March 10 in the Milford Community Building.