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BAZETTA -- Glitches in the bidding process for construction of new restrooms at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds won't put the project behind schedule, the fair board's president said.
President Bud Rodgers said he's confident that despite the setback in November, the project will remain on track to be done by the July 9 start date of the 2017 fair. The new bids will be advertised next month.
"That is a firm target date," Rodgers said.
The board voted in November to reject all of the bids, including one from a Vienna contractor who submitted the lowest bid because of a prevailing wage issue.
When the first round of bids came in, it appeared all eight were 10 percent above the $244,000 cost estimate, which automatically caused them to be tossed out. But architect Tim Sexton told the board another bid of $259,780 from CS Contractors LLC of Vienna was first not accepted, but then was determined to be valid. Board members later decided not to award the bid to CS Contractors.
CS Contractors owner Chris Saloom said he was disappointed with the process, but received some answers from the board at its December meeting.
Saloom said he believed after an Oct. 12 meeting with the architect and board that he was going to get the bid. However, Saloom said he was later informed by email the board was not going to accept his proposal based on not having to pay prevailing rates on jobs under $250,000. Rodgers said Saloom was satisfied nothing unethical was going on after the first round of bidding.
"We are not contractors on the board, and this is (Mr. Saloom's) first big project, so I think this was a learning process for all of us," Rodgers said.
Despite the delays and problems, Saloom said he is still interested in the job and intends to rebid the project.
"I already have some money and a bunch of time invested in it," he said.
Trumbull County received a $50,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to help pay for the 30-by-60-foot building, which would include eight showers. The county is putting in $43,400 and $175,507 will come from the fair board.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com