The Andover City Council on April 7 unanimously approved several street-project bids, including some that came in above estimates in the feasibility report, while also agreeing not to pass those added costs on to residents.
Public Works Director David Berkowitz told the council the agenda covered about $3.3 million in roadway work. While bids are typically approved through the consent agenda, he said some of these projects were pulled for discussion because several came in higher than expected.
Berkowitz said the city typically groups projects by location. Projects in the southwest area generally came in as expected, he said, while some in the northeast came in higher.
Mayor Jamie Barthel said the city should move forward with the work but should not charge residents more than the amounts presented in the feasibility report.
“We have told all our residents on these streets, this is what it’s gonna be,” Barthel said. “We decided about a year ago that when the feasibility report comes out, this is what you’re gonna be charged.”
Council member Jonathan Shafto agreed and said the city should apply that same approach consistently to similar projects later in the year.
Berkowitz said the amount at issue was relatively small in the context of the total work package.
“We’re not talking about tens of thousands of dollars, or hundreds of thousands of dollars, we’re talking about seven thousand dollars total,” Berkowitz said. “Out of the $3.3 million worth of projects that we have, we’re talking about a very small percentage.”
Berkowitz said it was difficult to pinpoint why some bids came in higher than others, though fuel costs may be one factor.
“That drives up not only fuels to transport to the site, it also drives up the bituminous cost,” Berkowitz said. “Fertilizer is another big concern moving forward because of what is going on.”
He also cautioned against rebidding the projects, saying volatile pricing could push costs even higher.
“You roll the dice if you rebid it based on what happens to the other two if they go up or what happens if everything goes up,” Berkowitz said. “Because some things are a little bit volatile right now, so I’d be really really cautious and concerned about looking at a rebid.”
Council member Karen Godfrey said sticking with the feasibility-study figures for residents was the fairest approach.
“I hope all of our residents will recognize that this is a bit of an attempt at equalization, and certainly at fairness,” Godfrey said. “None of us can control the external environment that appears to be impacting the bid results, and as Mr. Berkowitz said, we need to react to that appropriately.”
Godfrey added that the council could make adjustments elsewhere in the budget if needed.
During the consent agenda, the council also accepted the retirement of Fire Chief Dennis Jones and the resignation of Deputy Chief Ernie Scherger.
City Administrator Sarah Cotton said in a follow up phone call, that Jason Baumunk, who has 25 years of fire service experience and has also served as the city’s parks and streets manager, will fill both roles on an interim basis.