Bids dominate Commission meeting Tuesday

Bid openings took up much of the Marengo County Commission meeting Tuesday, with two being decided and one denied.

Two contractors bid on lawn care for county property, but, since the bid proposal did not specify the length of the contract, commissioners could not determine which of the bids was lower.

The Commission voted to deny the submitted bids and rebid the contract.

Marlowe Electric LLC won the contract over four other companies to replace lighting in the courthouse for a total cost of $32,400 pending review by County attorney Woody Dinning Jr. Part of the cost will be covered by a $15,000 energy grant from ADECA.

Deanco was the higher of two bidders for two dump trucks the county is selling after the purchase of new trucks. The bid of $116,250 for the two vehicles was approved pending review by County Engineer Ken Atkins.

A lengthy discussion continued from last month over the purchase and clean-up of the Tucker property across from the Courthouse at the intersection of Hwys. 43 and 28.

Commissioners voted to execute the sales agreement with a payment of $100. The remaining purchase price of $10,000 will be paid in cash on the final sale.

However, the issue of removing the gasoline tanks buried on the site is the primary hold up since the county would be liable if any leakage contaminated the site.

Commissioner Jason Windham did research on the cost of becoming eligible for the ALDOT Alabama Trust Fund that would cover cleanup costs and liability should any leaks occur. The county would need to pay $840 to the fund and then spend up to $20,000 for the tank removal, demolition of two buildings on the sites and paving the lot.

Windham highly recommended not purchasing the lot unless the county becomes a member of the Trust Fund.  Commissioner Calvin Martin said he didn’t think it was worth it for the county to spend so much money to provide parking spaces, but Freddie Armstead disagreed, saying the people using the Courthouse need parking space, especially on days the court is in session. “If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right,” he said.

The Commission finally agreed to get bids on all the work that must be done to see if it is feasible to continue with the purchase of the property.

Commissioner Terry Hinton said the proposal to designate Dogwood Hill Road as public is being raised again. The biggest concern, said Hinton, is the inability of emergency vehicles to travel the road. Previously six of the 15 residents along the road agreed to the proposal. The matter will continue once all residents have signed.

In other business, the Commission:

• Approved hiring two summer workers from each district at $7.25 per hour. They would work 24 hours per week for six weeks.
• Reappointed Robert Shamburger to the South Marengo Water and Fire Protection Authority.
• Provided a letter of support to West Alabama Public Transportation in its effort to apply for a grant.
• Announced the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday July 19-21.

Following an executive session, the Commission:

• Accepted the pay increase for the county engineer and assistant engineer per the recommendation from the state gas tax bill.
• Accepted the pay increase for the maintenance supervisor.