Plymouth Street Superintendent Announces Completion of Safe Routes to School Project, Opens Bids for 2018 Fuel and Street Supplies

Plymouth Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt alerted members of the Board of Public Works and Safety that all work on the Safe Routes to School project has officially been completed.

Marquardt explained the final step was to receive board approval and get the Mayor’s signature on the project. Board members unanimously approved his request to finalize the Safe Routes to School project.

Additionally, Marquardt opened bids for 2018 fuel and street supplies. The city received two bids for fuel supplies. The first bid came from the company Co-Alliance who offered the unit price of $2.37 for regular fuel and about $2.78 for diesel per gallon, after applying taxes and fees.

The second bid came from Ceres Solutions, formerly North Central Co-Op, who was bidding a base price of approximately $2.28 and a unit price of about $2.64 for diesel fuel plus an additional charge for winterized fuel.

Superintendent Marquardt explained that companies use the “price of the day” when they bid and since the city advertised for fixed-pricing; he requested permission to review the bids with the city attorney and seek a contract when gas prices are the most favorable. He said he would correspond with the bidders and then recommend the best option after the first of the year. He added they’re looking to get a contract awarded in January so they can start buying fuel in February.

The city only received one bid for street supplies from IMI Irving Materials. The superintendent indicated that some specifications that were advertised were not included in the bid. As with the fuel supplies, Marquardt asked permission to take the street supply bid under advisement and approach the board with his conclusion after the first of the year.

Board members unanimously approved requests for the street superintendent to review the fuel and street supply bids. After making comparisons and reviewing the bids, Marquardt will bring his recommendations before the Board of Public Works and Safety at the January 9th meeting.