To get the demolition of the Center Lake pier completed before the permit from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources expires in April, the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday awarded the bid and contract to Milestone Contractors for the project.
The bid, which was received and opened at the board’s Nov. 15 meeting and was the only bid received for the pier demolition, is for $397,838.
City engineer Aaron Ott said they took the bid under advisement and gave it “quite a bit of consideration from all angles,” besides just the price.
“We have a DNR permit that will expire if we don’t move forward soon that we would have to go back and do, which would cause us to lose time and there’s restrictions on the time of year you can do this kind of work. If we would not move forward with an award, we would lose the chance to get this done before the April 1 deadline and we wouldn’t be able to do this again until the fall,” he said.
With the DNR permit, there’s very specific restrictions and rules that have to be followed to get the pier demolished, Ott indicated, “which lends itself to some of the price that someone who is not familiar with those rules and restrictions may not understand and would have to understand.”
Milestone Contactors is a respected, reputable and capable contractor to do this type of project, Ott said. The company builds and takes down bridges.
“After thorough consideration, it’s our recommendation that the board award this contract to Milestone Contractors for $397,838,” Ott stated.
Mayor Jeff Grose told Ott he appreciated all his efforts as he’s been hard at work on it for several months. He also pointed out Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon for getting the project started as Dillon found $250,000 in his budget to be used toward the pier demolition; as well as Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer and City Planner Justin Taylor for getting on board with the project. Then Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner got on board and helped make the project work, Grose said.
“$397,838 is a lot of money, but this is something environmentally, this is something good for the community and it needs to be done,” Grose said.
Ott said he wanted to make it clear that, “This is a safety issue right now, too. I don’t know that that’s very well understood by the public, and so I wanted to reiterate that. There’s urgency besides environmental issues, safety issues. We need to accomplish this, and this is the opportunity that we have to do it, and that’s part of why I do recommend this as well.”
Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen asked about other piers to be constructed on the lake.
“Yeah, there is a full intent,” Ott replied. “We already have engineering done for two new piers to go into Center Lake, and we’re actively trying to figure out how to fund the two new piers. But first, we have to get the safety issue and the environmental issue resolved, and then turn our attention and focus to find the financial means to do the new piers out there.”
Board member George Clemens asked if Milestone Contractors was aware of the deadline. Ott said yes and they want to get going on it.
“It’s a good project to do when the winter’s not too harsh. They can get out there and do this right now,” Ott said.
Councilwoman Diane Quance made the motion to award the bid to Milestone “with joy,” Clemens seconded it and the motion passed 3-0.
Later in the meeting, the board was asked to approve the owner contractor agreement for the demolition project, which they did. Ott said they could then issue a “notice to proceed” to Milestone right away and get the project started.
“We didn’t give them a lot of time to do the work, so the sooner we are able to execute this contract, it’s good for them as well,” he stated.
Information provided states that of the total cost of the project, $250,000 will come from street repairs and maintenance; $73,919 from Redevelopment improvements other than buildings; and $73,919 from Redevelopment Allocation improvements other than buildings.
The contract states work will be substantially completed within 120 calendar days from the day the contractor starts work on site but not substantially complete later than March 28, 2025, and completed and ready for final payment by May 16, 2025. If the work is not completed within the times specified, plus any extension allowed, “the contractor agrees that for each calendar day that the work shall remain uncompleted after the time stipulated ... the sum of $1,000 per calendar day shall be deducted by the owner from monies due the contractor, not as a penalty, but as liquidated damages.”
The city of Warsaw is the owner in the contract, with Milestone being the contractor.