October 31, 2017

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The low bidder for construction of a replacement bridge in Stoddard County was Pace Construction Company in St. Louis, Mo. The Stoddard County Commission opened sealed bids during a recent regular meeting to replace a bridge on County Road 488 (old Highway 60 between Highway F and Dudley)...

Mike Mccoy

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The low bidder for construction of a replacement bridge in Stoddard County was Pace Construction Company in St. Louis, Mo. The Stoddard County Commission opened sealed bids during a recent regular meeting to replace a bridge on County Road 488 (old Highway 60 between Highway F and Dudley).

The project drew bids from six contractors with Pace Construction submitting the low bid of $117,950. Representatives from the companies were in attendance along with Jeremy Manning, an engineer with Smith & Company, Engineers in Poplar Bluff. Manning will review the bid packages and make a recommendation to award the contract to build the bridge at a later date.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) closed the old bridge which is located in Dudley Special Road District because it was unsafe. The commission programmed the bridge for replacement in April, 2016. The road is used heavily by farmers in that area. The new bridge will be a multi-cell corrugated metal pipe (CMP) design, according to Manning. The bridge will be 21 feet in length.

The following bids were received by the commission:

* Robertson Contractors, Inc., of Poplar Bluff, Mo. -- $137,875.50;

* Joe's Bridge and Grading, Inc., of Poplar Bluff, Mo. -- $124,901;

* Young's General Contracting, Inc., of Poplar Bluff, Mo. -- $188,594;

* Lappe Cement Finishing, Inc., of Friedheim, Mo. -- $122,263.97;

* Pace Construction -- $117,950;

* R.L. Persons Construction, Inc., of Poplar Bluff, Mo. -- $157,832;

* CSD of Springfield, Ill. -- $154,173.71.

The cost of the bridge will be paid from federal Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (BRO) funds. The commission programmed three more bridges in the county this year for replacement using BRO funds. Those bridges are still in the design phase.

Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis asked representatives of Pace Construction, MoDOT and Smith & Company to stay after the bid opening. After the others had left, Mathis said there had been problems in the past with getting all the paperwork from the contractor completed so that the project could be closed. He said repeated letters from MoDOT were sent to the county asking for paperwork, and he did not want that to happen again.

"I just want to make sure we are all on the same page," stated Mathis. "All paperwork should be filed in a timely manner."

Mathis went on to tell those present that no bridge should be reopened without the approval of both the commission and the township or road district where the bridge is located. He noted that he personally had approved a bridge reopening without consulting other commissioners or township officials, and it had gone "very badly."

Mathis noted that there were problems that wound up costing money, and he didn't want those problems to resurface.

Commissioner Carol Jarrell said she knew many farmers in the old Highway 60 area will be glad to see the road reopened once the new bridge is completed.

The only other action taken by the commission Monday was to continue the annual contribution to the County Employee's Retirement Fund (CERF) in 2018. The county pays four percent of a county employee's salary into the retirement fund.

Mathis told those present that KT Powers had finished recent improvements to security for the county. He said elected officials or employees with any concerns should contact the commission soon because paperwork will soon be signed to close those projects.

"I want to thank the employees of the county clerk's office for voicing their concerns," said Mathis. "Because of that some issues were resolved."

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