STOW - It's back to the drawing board for North Harmony's old highway building.
Recently, the North Harmony Town Board decided to reject all bids submitted for contracted asbestos removal from the building.
While the Town Board received a small amount of bids which they considered, the bids they received were inconsistent or received too late to be considered.
"I reviewed the bids ... and what I discovered was that the bids, other than (Stohl Remediation Services) and Kingsview, who submitted their bid a few days too late, did not have liability and workman's comp certificates," said Richard Sena, councilman. "In essence, aside from (Kingsview's) unpunctual bid, they tentatively could be awarded the contract to do that. However, it's up to us to decide to throw out all bids and rebid the (old highway building). By rebidding, we could potentially save over $3,000 (on the current low bid).
"I know that there has been some contention with Kingsview," continued Sena. "However, having a third party, which is mandatory in this situation for the state, I could see why they would have an issue with someone looking over their shoulder. It is my understanding that we can throw out a bid for any reason and rebid, so I think we should (consider that). Only one company provided us with insurance, and that was (Stohl)."
According to Sally Carlson, town supervisor, the town cannot accept Kingsview's bid as it was submitted, even though it would have been the lowest bid, because it was not submitted during the allotted time for bid submissions.
The Town Board unanimously approved the motion to rebid the asbestos removal contract. By rebidding, it offers construction agencies the opportunity to submit a new bid in a manner consistent with what the Town Board wants, and it gives the board more time to weigh its options.
The board has selected Jan. 10 at 11 a.m. as the final date and time which bids are allowed to be submitted. The board will then discuss which bid to accept on Jan. 14 at its monthly meeting.
Additionally, the board has scheduled its year end meeting for Dec. 27 at noon.