CITY COUNCIL OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF NEW CASTLE
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007, 5:00 P.M.
CITY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 220 DELAWARE STREET

Present:

Council President William Blest
Councilperson Churchill
Councilperson Teel Petty (arrived at 5:30)
Councilperson John Gaworski

Absent:

Councilperson Donald Reese

Others Present:

Mayor John Klingmeyer (arrived at 5:20), City Administrator Cathryn Thomas, Interim Director of Public Services Frank DiSabatino

Council President Blest brought the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

Considerable discussion was held concerning bids received for road and street repair projects within the City. The following letter was received from the project engineer:

July 27, 2007

Cathryn Thomas
City Manager
220 Delaware Ave.
New Castle, DE 19720-4816
RE:             Y2007 Street Paving, Contract No. 2007-01
            Bid Evaluation
            KEI Project #07-0101M
Dear Cathryn,

            Five bids were received for the referenced project.  A review of the bids has been performed.

Bids are as follows:
                                                                                    Percent Difference
    Engineer’s Estimate                        $228,829.32 

1) Stripe-A-Lot, Inc.                                    $148,470.64                        -35.12 %
2) Cirillo Bros., Inc.                                    $173,143.45                        -24.34 %
3) Daisy Construction, Co.                        $238,444.40                        + 4.20 %
4) Diamond Materials, LLC                       $248,893.40                        + 8.77 %
5) Sam’s Construction, LLC                        $267,844.00                        +17.05 %

            Due to the wide cost difference between the Stripe-A-Lot’s bid and the other bidders, I contacted Mr. Rick Romero to confirm his understanding of the Quality Assurance / Quality Control provisions contained in the specification. He assured me he understands the requirements set forth in the contract and can fully meet these requirements.
            At this time, I am recommending award of the contract to Stripe-A-Lot, Inc., 55 Germay Dr., Wilmington, DE 19804 for the sum of $148,470.64.             
            I can, if requested, provide a copy of the spreadsheet was used to evaluate the bids
            Please contact me should you have and questions or comments.

Sincerely,

KERCHER ENGINEERING, INC.

Michael Baiocco, Project Manager

The City Council noted the vast difference of bid amounts among the contractors, and particularly discussed the low bid amount submitted by the contractor Stripe-A-Lot. The City Council had concerns about the low bidder and had questions about the quality of work which would be provided.

Mr. DiSabatino said he had personally inspected some projects done by the Stripe-A-Lot contractor within the City of Wilmington. His opinion was the work was acceptable, however could have been of a higher quality than the finished product which he observed.

The Council concluded they would like additional information prior to making this decision. The City Administrator will contact other municipal officials who have worked with this contractor and inquire about their experiences. The question also arose about inspection of the work while it is being performed. The City Administrator will contact the engineer about this question.

The City Council agreed to meet in another special meeting to review the additional information and make a decision on the bid award. That will take place at the Town Hall, 201 Delaware St., at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 9.

Councilperson Churchill moved to adjourn, which was seconded by Councilperson Petty, with a unanimous aye vote.

Councilperson Churchill moved to enter into executive session concerning a personnel matter, which was seconded by Councilperson Gaworski, with a unanimous aye vote.

The Council met in Executive Session to discuss candidates for the position of Public Services Director. The top four candidates were identified and will be requested to appear before the full Council for interviews on Monday, August 13 at the Town Hall, beginning at 6 p.m.
The Executive Session was adjourned at 5:58 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:

Cathryn C. Thomas, City Administrator