Watertown gets two bids for downtown project

Craig Fox, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 18—WATERTOWN — Despite a shortage of available contractors this year, the city on Wednesday afternoon was able to get two construction companies to bid on the long-awaited $3.7 million downtown streetscape project.

On April 6, the city failed to get any bids for the project, which is part of its $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative program.

But representatives of the two companies submitted bids within just a few minutes of each other, while City Planner Geoffrey T. Urda waited in the lobby of City Hall.

"I'm excited, relieved," he said. "It's certainly good news we got multiple bids."

The streetscape improvements are considered the most visible out of 10 DRI projects.

The planned major improvements include the bulk of Court Street, the 200 block of Coffeen Street, the 200 block of Franklin Street and a makeover of Lachenauer Plaza.

Once completed, the streetscape improvements would change the character of that section of downtown for years to come.

CCI Construction, Canastota, submitted a $3,647,704.75 bid, while Luck Bros. Inc. Plattsburg, had a $4,341,880 bid. Both companies have worked on other city projects in the past.

Immediately after the bid opening, Dale Morrow, the city's purchasing manager, stressed that she still has to verify whether they are good bids.

The Planning Department worked with Barton & Loguidice, the Watertown engineering firm that designed the project, to find a contractor

John Condino, senior project manager at Barton and Loguidice, attended the bid opening to see what would happen.

"Good news," he said afterward.

Last month, Mr. Urda surmised that the city receive any bids for the project because it's an unusually busy construction season as communities across the region and the country hope to complete projects with American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The city was awarded $1.6 million in DRI funding for the project and plans to use $1.75 million of its $22 million in ARPA funds, as well as a $250,000 grant from National Grid and $75,000 in Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPS money, to pay for it.

The goal of the project is to increase pedestrian comfort and safety in the project footprint and create a more walkable downtown. The project's cost has jumped to an estimated $3.7 million.

With the project consisting of a handful of city streets, city planners hope that the successful bidder can start work on at least one of the streets this fall.

City planners have set a goal of completing the project in June 2023, in time for the first of three downtown block parties that summer.

Four years ago, the project's cost was estimated to be $1.645 million. In February, City Council members learned that this estimate had risen to $3.2 million. Construction costs are estimated at $3.283 million. The project's design and construction inspection make up the remainder.