Board awards contracts for first phase of library building construction

At its regular meeting April 10, the Belleville Area District Library Board officially awarded contracts for Bid Pack 1 for site construction of the new library to the following subcontractors:
• Survey and Layout – Midwestern Consulting, $16,600;
• Earthwork, Grading and Underground Utilities – Blue Ribbon Contracting, $766,600;
• Fencing – Industrial Fence, $23,376;
• Landscaping – Salisbury Landscaping Group, $67,351;
• Site Concrete – Fessler & Bowman, Inc., $113,400;
• Flag Pole – Rocket Enterprise, Inc., $2,966.
All were low bidders, except for the low flag pole bid of $1,875 from Pole Tech which was not all-inclusive, according to Matthew Ratzow, senior project manager for O’Neal Construction.
The board decided to hold off accepting the low base bid of MadRax at $764 to supply bike racks. If the budget allows they could want a more creative design instead of the basic.
Ratzow said the sealed bids were opened publicly at the library at 2 p.m., March 27, and read aloud and recorded.
Digging is expected to start in mid-May, Ratzow said.
Ratzow reported that on June 9 they will move the construction fence to make way for the museum’s Rosie the Riveter event on Fourth Street that will include a band.
Building Committee chairman Joy Cichewicz reported that representatives met with Sumpter Township officials and attorneys to work out the lease agreement for the hexagon building in Sumpter.
Board chairman Sharon Peters said the work in Sumpter is important to the board and some of the communications aren’t going through. She referred to the Independent’s report that the April 14 groundbreaking was announced at the Sumpter meeting earlier that evening, but there was confusion on where the ceremonial groundbreaking would be held.
“Our information needs to be as full and complete as can be,” Peters said. “As important as the business of our building on which we are going to break ground, our work in Sumpter is very important.”
When discussing the construction schedule in Belleville, Ratzow said he expects the new electric poles to be up by the end of April. The Edison lines will be in place above, but the Comcast and AT&T lines below will have to be moved, as well.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy said there are piles of poles at the corner of Third and Charles.
Board member John Juriga said DTE works at night when it can so it doesn’t affect churches and businesses.
The next bid package for everything else in the construction is to go out in early to mid-May, Ratzow and Cichewicz agreed, but architect Dan Whisler said there is a concern about the steel availability because it takes 18 weeks for delivery once it is ordered.
Whisler said they may want to go out for bids soon for the steel and foundation.
“There is a lot of questioning in the market on construction steel,” Ratzow said.
Juriga said there is discussion about a 15% increase in tariff, so the sooner they order the steel the better.
Board member Mary Jane Dawson and Alma Hughes-Grubbs reported that the Art Committee met recently and discussed how to raise money for public art. They said Tim Marsh suggested auctioning off chairs painted by artists. They discussed other things that could be painted including statues of cows and other animals. The next meeting is 7 p.m., April 18 at the library.