A section of Miles Street leading into LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The retaining wall, which abuts a saltwater cove, will be rebuilt and new water delivery lines will be installed next spring. (Evan Houk photo)
The Damariscotta Select Board awarded three construction bids — for projects on Egypt Road, Belvedere Road, and Miles Street — to Hagar Enterprises Inc. for up to $1,564,937 on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The Damariscotta-based construction business submitted the low bid for each project.
Hagar Enterprises was awarded a $1,053,817 contract for paving work on both Belvedere and Egypt Roads, as the company was the low bidder. Pike Industries Inc., of Belmont, N.H., submitted a bid of $1,242,932.68 for both projects and Crooker Construction submitted a $1,208,265 estimate for the work.
A 4,500-foot long and 21-foot wide section of Belvedere Road will be regraded, reshimmed, and reclaimed to 12 inches deep. The road will also be leveled out, some shoulder work will be done, and the road will be repaved, Andrew Hedrich, senior civil engineer with Gartley and Dorsky Engineering and Surveying Inc., said.
A 1,500-foot long section of Egypt Road will be repaved, five culverts will be replaced, and some shoulder work and ditching will be done.
Hagar Enterprises explained in the bid submission that work can be started on Egypt and Belvedere Roads this fall and completed around May 2023.
Hedrich explained that the contractors gave unit prices for items like ditching that may have to be added on or adjusted once the project is underway.
“Be aware, as you’re reviewing this, there will be changes associated with this before they get to the end,” Hedrich said.
The select board conditionally approved Hagar as the preferred contractor for the Miles Street causeway project and will draft a notice of intent to award the contract.
Town Manager Andy Dorr said this will allow the town to discuss with LincolnHealth which of the three bid options the hospital would prefer and explore other funding options to potentially enable the installation of an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant raised sidewalk with a granite curb, the most expensive option.
LincolnHealth has committed $200,000 to match Damariscotta’s $200,000 set aside for the project from the town’s capital reserve fund for the reconstruction of a section of Miles Street. There is also $185,179.59 in American Rescue Plan Act funds reserved for the project.
After subtracting an estimated $50,000 in engineering fees and $35,000 in permitting fees, the total project funds left will be around $500,179.59.
The total project estimate for the granite curb option, which is the most expensive of the three options, from Hagar Enterprises is $511,120.
The work will include reconstructing the retaining wall along Miles Street, which abuts a saltwater cove, installing a new drainage system, and upgrading and widening the stream crossing under the road.
Three contractors submitted bids for three different options — one with a widened roadway for walking and bicycling; one with an asphalt curb and sidewalk; and the most expensive option, which includes a granite curb sidewalk.
“It’s a narrow road. It would benefit from having a granite curb in that section,” Hedrich said.
Hagar’s low bid prices range from $439,770 to $511,120. The high bid prices submitted by Topsham-based Crooker Construction LLC range from $611,050 to $652,050, depending on the option. Owls Head-based Jake Barbour Inc. also submitted bids ranging from $564,355 to $620,247.
All three companies also submitted a separate bid for the replacement of the water delivery lines underneath Miles Street that the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District has indicated the hospital is responsible for, with Hagar Enterprises’ entering the low bid of $82,600. The hospital will cover the cost to replace the water system, Dorr said.
All the companies indicated work cannot be done until spring.
Hedrich said he usually questions a bid that is so much lower than other companies, but he is familiar with the work Hagar Enterprises does and he knows the local company understands the project.
“They’ve never left me disappointed,” Hedrich said.
Seth Hagar, of Hagar Enterprises Inc., said he will look at the bid and see where additional cost savings can be realized to bring the final price down.
The Damariscotta Select Board approved awarding all the contracts to Hagar by votes of 4-1, with select board member Josh Pinkham casting the vote in opposition.
The Damariscotta Select Board will next meet at the town office at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
