Fairport Harbor approves bid for next segment of streetscape upgrade
Nov. 28—A contractor has been chosen to perform Phase 2 construction of Fairport Harbor Village's downtown streetscape project.
Village Council, at its Nov. 21 meeting, approved a bid submitted by RMH Concrete and Foundations Inc. of Collins, Ohio, which is Huron County.
The company's bid of about $236,159 was the least expensive proposal from a field of seven prospective contractors. A bid advertisement said the opinion of probable construction cost for the streetscape endeavor was $265,000.
All seven bids were reviewed by Village Engineer Clyde Hadden. He said that RMH possessed the proper qualifications and experience to perform the project.
RMH will enhance the streetscape on Third Street, between High and Eagle streets.
This section of Third Street will be improved in the following ways during Phase 2 construction:
—New sidewalks, and new and additional streetlights, for both sides of the street
—New Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible curb ramps at crosswalks
—Improved ADA accessibility to downtown businesses.
Funding for the Phase 2 streetscape upgrade consists of a $245,000 Community Development Block Grant that Fairport Harbor was awarded in 2022; and a $55,000 local match from the village's streetlight fund.
It took two rounds of competitive bidding for Fairport Harbor to find a contractor that had the proper credentials and would work within the village's budget for the Phase 2 streetscape endeavor.
The village placed bid advertisements for the same project in July. But when the submission deadline of Aug. 4 was reached, only one company had sent in a bid.
Perk Co. Inc. of Cleveland presented a proposal to perform the Phase 2 streetscape project for $336,000. That figure was above both the opinion of probable cost — set in July at $255,000 — and the village's $300,000 budget for the undertaking.
During an Aug. 15 council meeting, Hadden added that Perk had the right experience and qualifications to do the project.
Council President Anthony Bertone wondered why the advertisement only attracted one bidder for the Phase 2 streetscape endeavor.
Hadden is employed by CT Consultants of Mentor and serves as village engineer on a contractual basis. He said CT had gotten similar responses to bid advertisements during the first 7 1/2 months of 2023.
"For many of (the advertised projects), we have not received any bids, because there is so much work on the street," he said on Aug. 15. "There's a lot of projects going on, everybody's busy and it's a difficult environment to get bidders. It's happening in the industry now."
The village's July bid advertisement had listed a project completion date of Nov. 10.
Hadden also said he had received many calls from contractors after the July bid advertisement appeared, asking if the village could move the Phase 2 streetscape completion date until spring.
After some additional discussion, council voted unanimously to reject Perk's bid. The panel also agreed that the village should wait until later in 2023 or early 2024 to re-bid the project.
With RMH now designated as the contractor, Phase 2 of the streetscape enhancement is slated to begin in March and be completed by mid-May of 2024, Village Administrator Amy Cossick said.
Phase 1 of Fairport Harbor's streetscape improvement project targeted a section of High Street between Third and Fourth streets. Work was completed in late 2021 and included enhancements similar to those planned for Phase 2 of the streetscape undertaking.
The third and final phase of streetscape upgrades will take place on High Street between Third and Second streets. An overall plan to enhance the streetscape of downtown Fairport Harbor was developed in 2017, through a cooperative effort involving Village Council and the consulting firm Envision Group of Cleveland.
