The Dunwoody City Council voted March 12 to approve an $8.3 million paving bid over three years to Blount Construction.
Other bids came in between $9.2 million and $11.5 million.
Public Works Director Michael Smith explained that due to the recent passage of the special local options sales tax (SPLOST), rising costs are expected for paving and other transportation projects as cities and DeKalb County begin spending the new revenue generated from SPLOST.
“Customarily the city has presented a multi-year paving plan in the fall, contracted for the first year of the plan the following spring and then updated the plan again in the following fall. In anticipation of rising construction costs, this year’s paving bid was advertised as an annual contract with two optional renewal years that would include the roads planned for
paving in 2018 through 2020,” Smith said in a memo to the council.
Following the completion of each year’s paving under this contract a list of roads for paving the following year will be presented to the City Council with the option to renew the contract for that year, he added.
Councilmember Lynn Deutsch said she likes the idea of a multi-year bid, but worried about quality. “What do we do to ensure the product lasts, is well done,” she said. “I see some significant differences in the bids.”
Smith explained that state law requires the city accept the low bid and said Blount Construction has done good paving work for the city in the past.
Grass grows in the cracks in the asphalt in the Summer… would love to see our street paved. Maybe instead of investigating workforce housing in our City?? The market determines the rental rates and sales prices of the product offered… not the government.