VALPARAISO | With the Chautautaqua Park stormwater control project offering a projected $4 million contract, Valpariso's Utilities Board drew bids from 10 companies Tuesday.
The bids ranged from a high of $8.14 million to a low of $2.88 million, with the low bid coming from G.E. Marshall of Valparaiso.
The project includes construction of a detention pond just south of the St. Paul School property on Harrison Boulevard and an outlet pipe to Beauty Creek. Also, a trunk line is planned along the north side of the Canadian National tracks to the Chautauqua Park area and then under the tracks to the neighborhood.
The first alternate would branch off the trunk line to serve Bond, Grove and Ridgeland avenues, which Deputy Engineering Director Adam McAlpine said were the priority streets for this phase of the project because of flooding problems.
The second alternate would branch off the trunk line down Yellowstone Road to George Street and Avondale Avenue.
The utilities board has budgeted $4 million for the project from a bond issue. The engineer's estimate for the base bid was $2.07 million with a total of $4.16 million to add both alternates.
Marshall's base bid was $1.6 million, and it was the only company to bid under $3 million for the total project. Only three others were under $2 million for the base bid. Work should start in early spring and be completed later this year. A second phase involving the southern half of Chautauqua Park also is planned.
All the bids will be reviewed by the engineering staff and board attorney Mike Langer before a recommendation is made to the board. Normally the recommendation would come at the board's next meeting in two weeks, but Langer said it might take longer because of the large number of bids.
The board approved a contract with Geisler Electric for $52,500 to repair the electric service to three pumps at the airport well field. On Jan. 30, the wires were hit by lightning causing damage.
The pumps were knocked out of service, but the lower water use during the winter made it possible to maintain an adequate water supply using the remaining three wells and the city's other wells. Environmental Compliance Administrator Ed Pilarski said it won't be known if the pumps were damaged until power is restored.
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