City Council Rejects Lone Bid for Second Street Paving
Kennewick officials put the brakes on local street improvements after receiving a bid that far exceeded engineers' estimates.
The story, cleaned up
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The city council’s call for bids for the improvement of Second street from Washington street to Pacific avenue was answered by only one bidder, the H. L. Wilson company, of Walla Walla. The bid was rejected and the council adjourned until Saturday evening. The Wilson company offered to put in the improvement for $2,340, or about 20 per cent in excess of the engineer’s estimates. The contract also required the city to furnish a steam roller and oil sprinkler, which the council could not guarantee, as those machines are currently being used on county work between here and Finley.
“The improvement based upon this bid would cost $1.30 per front foot or about 20 per cent in excess of the engineer’s estimates.”
The perennial struggle of city councils to balance infrastructure needs with municipal budgets and contractor disputes is as characteristic of modern Kennewick as it was in 1915.
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