Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety rejected a bid for construction of Krebs Trailhead Park Friday. The board rejected approving a $120,189.24 bid from Butt & Timmons Construction, Warsaw, that was first reviewed at the board’s Feb. 15 meeting. The motion to reject the bid was made by board member Jeff Grose, seconded by board member Charlie Smith. The city will reopen bids in the near future for the project, according to Tim Dombrosky, assistant city planner. The city decided Friday to reject the one bid that was received because the amount was outside the city’s funding capability, Dombrosky said. The board, at its Oct. 5 meeting, approved the city to seek quotes for the creation of the park. The board also previously approved grant funding from the Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitor Commission and OrthoWorx for the park. The park is being proposed at the intersection of East Market and McKinley streets. The idea is to connect expanding recreational assets such as the greenway for bicyclists and pedestrians and Winona’s Heritage Trail and Warsaw’s Chinworth Trail. “We are not 100 percent sure why the bid was not in our funding estimate but we will continue to evaluate what we can do and reopen the bid at some point in the near future,” Dombrosky said. Dombrosky said one of the tasks will be to find contractors who want to participate in the project. The city will have to either adjust its construction timeline or the scope of work so that those who want to bid feel they can do so. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said he agreed the one bid the city received did not seem to be in the city’s best interest. Thallemer suggested the city reopen bids and may have to change the specifications for the project.
