TREVORTON - If all goes well, Zerbe Township will award the contract for work on the First Street culvert project in less than a week, and for less than expected.
At a special meeting Tuesday, supervisors opened three bids from companies looking to rebuild the washed-out culvert. The lowest bid came from Mid-State Paving, of Paxtonville, $71,801.65.
Previously, Mid-State was the only bidder on the project's first round of bidding, submitting a price of $124,979, more than $50,000 above the $72,205 cost estimate the township submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in March.
FEMA rules state the actual project cost can only be 10 percent over the estimated cost without having to reapply for more funds.
Other companies bidding on the project and their prices were Kevin E. Raker Construction LLC, of Sunbury, at $82,243 and Trinity Excavating, Inc., of York at $92,175.
The bid packages were turned over to the project's engineering firm, URS Corporation, of Williamsport, for review. A contract is expected to be awarded at the supervisor's next regular monthly meeting Monday.
Language of the contract requires the work be completed in 30 days from the time the contract is awarded; if not, whichever firm gets the contract will pay a $200 per day penalty.
After rejecting Mid-State's quote on July 22, Zerbe Township put the project out for rebid with some specification changes made by URS.
The firm recommends using premanufactured metal end sections and having a rock slope at the ends, not including a pedestrian railing due to the rock slope presence, and using aluminized pipe instead of polymer-coated.
Another recommended option is for township workers to clear the area and do some shallow digging at the site before construction begins. Zerbe Township hopes the work can be done by Sept. 15, or it risks losing state funding for the project.
The culvert was washed out during the Flood of 2011 and the township wants to replace it, and help alleviate flooding concerns.
"The work will help realign Zerbe Run," Mazer said in July. "Instead of the stretch where it turns south, it will now be a straight shot through that will help make it run better."