bids not high enough

I am neither an officer nor a founder of the Historical Society. I AM a supporter. That has NOTHING to do with the election. NOTHING. Nada. ZIP. Lets talk about the bids that were thrown out because they WERE TOO LOW! How can THAT be? A City official who is supposed to be looking out for the residents throws bids out because they are TOO LOW? Not enough of our tax monies would be spent? Incredible! The City Manager decides that not enough of our taxes would be spent if we took a lower bid? Sounds like the CC project, that STARTED at 150k and went WAY up from there! 150k, BTW, is $300 a square foot for that project, and a VERY NICE profit at that price! The City Manager didnt stop until we paid over $600 a square foot tho. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

construction costs outrageous

The contractors on the Citys construction projects are in the public domain. Gym told me himself in his office that the actual "hard construction costs" to enclose two walls at the CC (two walls were already there), was "Three hundred and change". That number turned out to be 315k+, to enclose TWO walls in a 520 square foot room. That turns out to be $600 a square foot. When I just shook my head in wonder and asked him how he could justify those expenses he just shook his head repeatedly and kept saying that I didnt understand. When I asked exactly what it was that I didnt understand he had NO ANSWER, just kept shaking his head and saying I didnt understand. Six hundred dollars per square fot is outrageous, and anybody with ANY construction experience knows that. At the usual and customary fees of $125 a square foot that enclosure shouldnt have cost more than $65,000. To pay 315k for that little enclosure was a ripoff of our tax dollars. Plain and simple. Dr. Mel P. Johnson