The city of Starkville is gearing up to begin work on a major infrastructure project in the Pleasant Acres neighborhood after aldermen accepted a bid on the project during Tuesday’s board meeting.
The board accepted a bid for about $980,188 from Louisville-based 4-D Construction. The item was approved as part of Tuesday’s consent agenda, which means it was accepted at the beginning of the meeting without an individual vote with a range of other items.
The Pleasant Acres project is the first of several Starkville is planning to repair aging water and sewage infrastructure in neighborhoods throughout the city. The first three neighborhoods the city has selected, in order of greatest need based on the volume of repair calls, are Pleasant Acres, Green Oaks and Rolling Hills.
Starkville Utilities Director Terry Kemp, speaking to media after the board meeting, said the bid was higher than an initial estimated cost for the work. Earlier in the summer, Kemp said the department’s preliminary estimates for the work were that it would cost about $600,000. Even later estimates, he said, were higher but not as high as the bid. However, he said SUD has reviewed the bid and is comfortable with the cost.
“Very early in the process, we came up with some rough estimates based under a little bit limited information and field work,” Kemp said. “We were thinking with contingencies it’d be about $800,000 or thereabouts. This was higher than that, but we’ve spent the last two weeks since we got the bids going line-by-line to identify what the costs we feel should be. We feel very comfortable with this number.”
With the bid accepted, Kemp said SUD will work on hammering out contractual details with 4-D Construction over the next two or three weeks. He said work should begin once that’s complete. The contract will include a 180-day work period.
“A lot depends on the weather, but I know the contractor is eager to get started, and we are too,” Kemp said. “I think we’re going to move as fast as we can.”
The city will completely replace the water and sewer infrastructure in the Pleasant Acres neighborhood. Officials have stated, both in city meetings and in an August neighborhood meeting with Pleasant Acres residents, that the work will be somewhat disruptive, as it will also involve moving lines that are in backyards closer to the street to improve access for the future.
City officials have vowed open communication with residents as the process begins, and Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker said it will be important to keep communication up through the project.
“The next step will be to set up a meeting to let everybody know when construction is anticipated to start and to make sure we have open communication throughout the construction process,” said Walker, whose ward contains Pleasant Acres.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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