VBT DDA selects WH Canon to do Ecorse/Belleville road landscaping

The Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority went out for bids a second time for the landscaping at the corner of Ecorse and Belleville roads and unanimously selected WH Canon for the job.
The unanimous selection was made at the DDA’s July 28 meeting.
The original bid had some confusion so DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland said the DDA decide to reject the two bids it had and rebid.
“It’s the fair thing to do,” Ireland said, noting she didn’t want any criticism of the DDA over the process.
The first bids were opened June 22 and Cadillac Asphalt bid $267,644.29 and WH Canon, Inc. bid $266,000. The DDA’s pre-bid cost estimate had been $315,687, including the county’s permit fee.
It was recommended to accept the low bidder, but then some questions arose and the decision was made to rebid.
At the second bid opening on July 16, the bid was $270,985.17 by Cadillac Asphalt ($270,850.15 based on Unit Prices) and $290,819 by WH Canon, Inc.
In making the recommendation to select the higher bid by Canon, James Allen, Director of Design at McKenna Associate, noted that Cadillac Asphalt is an asphalt paving company and Canon is a landscape design, construction, and maintenance firm.
The DDA’s bid request asked each bidder for three references and examples of five similar projects completed within the past ten years.
Cadillac Asphalt provided two references, both for their subcontractor, Randy Brown Landscape. Both projects are single-family-residential landscape projects with satisfied clients.
WH Canon provided the requested three references. All three references are from clients for whom WH Canon completed streetscapes within public right-of-way. Allen spoke with two or the three references and both references were satisfied with the work.
As to the request for five similar projects within the last 10 years, Cadillac Asphalt listed five previous similar projects, of which four were lawn planting incidental to a road construction project.
Allen said McKenna does not consider these four projects sufficiently comparable in complexity or size to the proposed Ecorse Road project because none of the four included streetscape details, trees or shrub plantings.
Also, Cadillac’s landscape projects were performed by other subcontractors who are not associated with the proposal for the Ecorse Road project. One previous similar project, the Belleville Road streetscape, was performed by Brown with Cadillac Asphalt.
WH Canon’s previous projects are each road median and streetscape related projects, several performed for MDOT. The University Cultural Center project included boulevard tree plantings. Other than irrigation and electrical, all work was performed by WH Canon and not a subcontractor.
Allen said speaking with each bidder’s references and the listed contact people for past similar projects revealed that in general both firms provide excellent services and high quality work.
“The one exception was the reference for the Cadillac Asphalt’s Van Buren DDA Belleville Road streetscape project, which was awarded to them by the Van Buren DDA in 2001,” Allen wrote in a memo to Ireland and the DDA.
“That project took 2-3 years to complete and there were multiple quality problems with plants and materials during the process,” Allen stated. (Another document stated there were many trees Brown had to replace.)
“While Cadillac Asphalt and Randy Brown have performed most past projects well, the majority of the work examples they reported are not sufficiently comparable in size and complexity to the Ecorse Road streetscape project, and the comparable Belleville Road streetscape project did not get a good review,” Allen wrote.
Allen said while Canon is the higher bidder of the two, it is the most qualified firm for this project’s size and scope. He added the bid requests clearly states the DDA does not have to select the lowest bid, but rather that the DDA may select the most qualified bidder.
Allen recommended, and the board approved, the addition of a 10% contingency of up to $29,081 for a total project of $319,900. The contingency fee, if needed, would be administered by Ireland.
The DDA voted to expend and allocate $319,900 of the 2012 bond proceeds to the Ecorse Landscape Project.
After the vote was taken on the project, Brown called out from the audience, “How do you spend $20,000 more than the next bidder? It’s stupid.”
DDA chairman Craig Atchinson told Brown he had his opportunity to speak. Atchinson had asked before the vote if there were any comments from the DDA or the audience and nobody spoke.
“That’s disgusting!” Brown said angrily as he left the meeting.
Brown’s partner from Cadillac Asphalt asked Brown out in the hallway, “Why didn’t you say something?”
In other business at the July 28 meeting, the DDA:
• Approved going out for bids to demolish the home at 10101 Belleville Road. This is the property the DDA bought that lies directly on Belleville Road, not the Grandpa Harris property to the rear. The building is too close to another structure to have a practice burn by the fire department, but they may have explosion practices behind the house, said DDA vice chairperson Carol Bird, who owns the business right next door;
• Heard Ireland say Albert Harris was one of the original VBT DDA members and his daughters will assist Ireland by telling her what’s been planted on the property and where it came from. The online survey to get ideas for use of the property purchased had 117 responses so far and hopefully they will have results for the next meeting;
• Approved participating in Public Safety Day to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 19 next to Walgreen’s and spending up to $10,000 for the event to pay for marketing, promotional items, and other necessities (such as portable restrooms), with none spent for wages or fringes;
• Accepted the 2014 year-end audit of DDA funds;
• Watched a PowerPoint presentation by Paul Lippens of McKenna Associates with preliminary recommendations from the Belleville Road Walkability Audit he is preparing;
• Learned there was a problem with the quicksand-like base for the sidewalks because there was a lot of water in the easement along the N. I-94 Service Drive, so another $24,000 was voted to add to the contingency for the sidewalk project. Ireland said contractor Davenport Brothers had a stockpile of milled asphalt that it sold at a low rate to the township to stabilize the base. Engineering consultant Dave Nummer said if any more asphalt is needed, the township has a stockpile from its parking lot work around township hall. Ireland said they also had to cut down the phragmites along the sidewalk because they were so tall you wouldn’t be able to see a pedestrian walking, which could be a public safety issue; and
• Heard DDA Assistant Director Lisa Lothringer report on the welcome map that will be put in five hotels, that there are 580 DDA email subscribers, they are fine-tuning the DDA;s booth for the upcoming tradeshow, and the Facebook following continues to grow.