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SALEM -- Howells & Baird will engineer the concrete streets project this summer after negotiating a contract with Mayor John Berlin for $171,000, city Service/Safety Director Ken Kenst announced Tuesday night.
The Salem firm scored the highest of the four engineering companies which submitted their qualifications for consideration for the work, which will include drawing up the plans, seeking bids and overseeing the project to completion. A three-member committee which included the mayor, Kenst and Assistant Utilities Superintendent Matt Hoopes scored the companies based on experience, proximity to the project, any past work done for the city and any references from prior clients.
Kenst explained that per the process followed for Requests For Qualifications, the company scoring highest negotiates for an agreed-upon price for the engineering. He informed city council of the results during his report at council's recent meeting.
As part of the price, Howells & Baird included the $5,575 already paid by the city for the company to complete an opinion of probable cost for a proposed project to repair portions of the concrete streets, specifically State Street, Pershing and Southeast.
That study by engineer Jon Vollnogle of Howells and Baird, which is headquartered in Salem, came up with an opinion of probable cost for each street, including engineering and an estimated 8 percent for contingencies that could arise, with the grand total set at $2,205,460.
The total probable cost for East State Street from Lincoln Avenue to the hospital in the 1900 block was $869,906. For East Pershing Street from Ohio Avenue to Southeast Boulevard, the estimate was $941,371, and the estimate for Southeast Boulevard from Ridgewood Drive to East Pershing Street was $394,182. The work would include cutting out sections of concrete and replacing those sections with new concrete.
Other engineering firms which submitted RFQs included another Salem firm, Alfred Benesch & Company, along with The Thrasher Group of Canton and GGJ Consultants of Eastlake.
Kenst said Howells & Baird received the higher score because of work the company has done before, the location close to the project and their references. When asked if they had an unfair advantage, he said no, noting that every engineering firm that has to go through this process in their home community all have an advantage. He said that's the nature of the process.
The contract calls for 30 days for preliminary engineering and then the project will go through the bidding process to find a contractor for the job.
"We're hoping to do that before Memorial Day," Kenst said.
The project will be done in sections, based on the condition of the streets. This will be a project to repair the streets, not replace the concrete from curb to curb.
"The city has done a lot of concrete street repairs, but not since 2005 and none this extensive," he said.
Pershing and State won't be done at the same time, with one serving as the detour route for the other and vice versa. Kenst said they'll try to keep one lane of East State Street open as much as possible, but Pershing will have to be closed in sections.
Funding to pay for the project will come from the .25 percent additional income tax and the capital improvement fund.
No paving will be done this year, with plans calling for the city to resume paving work through the .25 percent additional income tax next year. Kenst said the city also is applying through Columbiana County for 2019 Community Development Block Grant funds to pave Franklin Street from Lincoln to Ellsworth and Railroad Street from Ellsworth to Newgarden next year.
mgreier@salemnews.net