Saturday, July 17, 1999
Bids for new courthouse steps too high
Butler County seeking others
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — The low bid to replace the exterior steps at the Butler County Courthouse was $126,000 higher than expected.
County officials had expected the low bid for concrete step replacements to be $260,000. But they received only one such bid, and that was from The Tradesmen Group Inc. for $386,000.
Four other bids, for sandstone steps, were well above that.
County Administrator Derek Conklin called it “highly unusual” for bids to be so far above county projections.
As a result, the county commissioners decided Thursday to throw out the bids.
The county received four bids for sandstone steps: Midwest Maintenance Inc., $420,965; The Tradesmen Group Inc., $448,460; Quality Masonry Company Inc., $449,100; and Midstate Contractors Inc., $695,108.
Asking for new bids for concrete steps won't delay the work, Mr. Conklin said.
This is the third and last phase of a courthouse renovation project.
The first phase, completed in 1997, involved repairing, replacing and cleaning the sandstone surface of the building, including the porticos near the top. That work cost $959,000.
In the second phase, workers repaired the windows, doors, main roof, clock tower and stone steps at a cost of $795,000.
Manager sought
The county also is seeking proposals from companies interested in managing the construction of the new Butler County Jail, to be built on the former Deuscher foundry property on Hanover Street in Hamilton.
Mr. Conklin must receive the proposals of prospective project managers by 4 p.m., Aug. 16.
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