A portion of the Salt Creek Trail continues to progress after the Brown County Commissioners approved a bid for paving earlier this month.
On Sept. 1 the commissioners approved a bid from All American Express Solutions for $358,909.61 to pave a part of the trail that runs through Eagle Park to Brown County State Park.
The bids to pave Phase 2 of the trail were opened in August with four contractors submitting their bids.
Milestone Contractors’ bid was $455,545.45; All-Star Paving’s bid was $498,614; All American Paving & Sealcoating LLC’s bid was $358,909.61; and Monroe LLC’s bid was $298,895.
The bids were sent to the trail design consultant and to the county’s attorney for review before being awarded.
Even though All American Express Solutions was the second lowest bidder they were awarded the bid because the lowest bidder, Monroe LLC, did not meet qualifications and Indiana Department of Administration specifications that were in the advertisement for the project, Highway Superintendent Mike Magner said.
Magner is the “ERC” (employee of responsible charge), or local point person with the state for this project, which is being conducted in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources.
After the bid was approved unanimously, John Simpson, who owns Monroe LLC, asked the commissioners why he was not awarded the bid as the lowest bidder given his work history with trail projects throughout the state and that over half were bonded.
Simpson said that under Indiana Code his bid should have been exempted from IDOA certifications because it was below a threshold of $300,000. In April, Simpson was the sole bidder for this project and the commissioners rejected his bid. It was advertised again. Simpson also bid on the stormwater project in Helmsburg, which was also rejected.
Commissioner Diana Biddle told Simpson to try getting his IDOA certification so he can be considered for projects in the future and that they were going off of recommendations from the design consultant and their legal team. The commissioners have always went with companies that have IDOA or Indiana Department of Transportation certifications, Biddle said.
Simpson said a company has to have five jobs over the last five years that were over $150,000 to get the certification, which he has, but the classification of those jobs do not qualify for the certification.
Magner said that Indiana Code states that state agencies can waive requirements, like IDOA, for projects under $300,000, but that it does not address boards at the local level, like the commissioners.
“By home rule, they can set any standards that they wish to set as far as bidding requirements. This project is not automatically exempted just because you lowered your bid to be below $300,000,” Magner said.
On Sept. 15, Magner said All American Express Solutions would get started on paving Phase 2, which is between the Brown County State Park and Eagle Park, this year, but that the project would not be finished until next year. The paving also has to happen around the school’s cross-country and track schedule.
Phase 2 was supposed to be completed by the end of last year, but due to a harsh winter, construction was delayed. The two large red bridges on either end of Phase 2 used to span the Eel River on State Road 46 in Clay County. INDOT relocated them here at the state’s expense.
At the Sept. 15 meeting, Magner said the bridges were basically finished, but the contractor had a “few punch list” items to check off before fulfilling the contract with the state.
The Salt Creek Trail is envisioned to link the state park with downtown Nashville. Planning for the paved, multi-use trail started in October 2002. The first three-quarter-mile section opened in 2013 between CVS and the YMCA, following Salt Creek. It sees heavy use by locals and by visitors seeking a safer way into downtown Nashville than crossing State Road 46.
Funding for the multimillion-dollar trail project has come from the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Some local donors also helped with Phase 1.
Phase 1 ends at the YMCA, and Phase 2 is the section being worked on now, beginning at the state park pool area and ending at the RedBarn Jamboree, going around the back of the Eagle Park property.
Phase 3 will be the middle section, between the RedBarn Jamboree and the YMCA. The route and timetable for that section are still under consideration.
Remaining money from the grant used on Phase 2 of the trail will be used to fund Phase 3.
Last week, Magner said that visitors to Phase 2 of the trail will have to access it from the state park until the trail is completed.
