Letter to editor,
In response to Bill Bartholow’s Letter to the Editor, it’s true the information printed in the May 20 edition of the Plainsman was incorrect.
What Mr. Bartholow failed to mention in his attempt to “set the record straight” was a memo dated May 15, to the Mayor and Commission by City Engineer Brett Runge, where he stated, and I quote “We have reviewed the bids for the 202024 mill and overlay Broadland Creek parking lot project. Asphalt Paving and Materials Co., of Huron was the single bidder, with a submitted low bid of $85,264.40.”
“This bid amount significantly exceeds the city’s budgeted amount of $51,145.40 for the project. Therefore the engineering department - with support of the golf department - recommends rejecting all bids submitted because it exceeds the funds available and is in the city’s best interest.”
“In order to preserve the asphalt parking lot and as an alternative to the Mill & overlay project, an asphalt chip seal will be completed by city crews instead. This can be completed at a fraction of the cost to a mill and overlay, and we anticipate extending the life of the existing pavement 6-7 years.”
As the Engineering Department deals with this subject matter yearly, it’s hard to believe that they don’t have a good idea of the costs associated with these projects.
Mr. Bartholow stated that “The truth is that asphalt has actually declined significantly during the pandemic.” That being said, why was the bid more than $34.000 over budget?
The City Engineer and his staff should be commended for keeping taxpayers in mind, especially when there is no competition for the work which needs to be done. All of the information provided can be found on the City of Huron’s website.
And now you have “The Rest of the Story.”
Douglas Hart
Huron
