By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
None of the four companies that requested bid specifications for construction of a new facility for Richardson Stadium actually submitted bids by the deadline, Mayor Henry Royse told members of the Finance Committee of the Glasgow Common Council at its regular meeting Tuesday.
The scheduled bid opening was Friday, and they waited through Monday, hoping some were just late.
“We got zero bids …,” he said. “Nobody wanted to bid on it because of the fact that we had a completion date as part of the specifications. … We talked to everybody who had gotten a bid packet and found out that’s the big problem.”
The mayor added that because the city had advertised for bids and none were received, it doesn’t have to advertise, and some negotiating can be done.
“We’re trying to get the concrete pad done, because we’ve already bought and paid for the installation and the bleachers. All we need is a place to put them [after they arrive],” Royse said.
Conversations have begun with at least one person and a couple more are in mind who may be able to get the concrete work done, and other portions may be done in phases.
“The hope would be is we could get that much of it done,” the mayor said.
The committee members present also heard a variety of updates from city personnel that included the following bits of information:
– HDL Companies, contracted by the city to seek out companies that are doing business in Glasgow without a business license and collect the license fee and any outstanding taxes, added one new business to its list of found ones and collected $364.14, of which the city will receive half, in keeping with the agreement.
– The financial outlook for the city in relation to its budget as it nears the halfway point in its fiscal year, which runs from July 1 through June 30, is “good. Actually it’s great, to be honest, right now,” said City Treasurer Stephanie Garrett.
– Garrett estimated that roughly 70 percent of billed property taxes have already been collected, as many sought to get the 2 percent discount for paying early. At this point, a 1 percent discount is still available for those who pay by the end of the calendar year.
The majority of the discussion took place with only two of the four committee members – Councilmen Terry Bunnell, who chairs the panel, and Marlin Witcher – present, so any action items were reserved to the end after Councilwoman Chasity Lowery arrived from another meeting she’d needed to attend. Councilman Freddie Norris was absent.
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