F & S Property Maintenance, of Damariscotta, will continue to mow Newcastle’s cemeteries through 2015.
The Newcastle Board of Selectmen, after some debate, unanimously accepted the contractor’s bid for the second half of 2014 and all of 2015 April 28.
F & S did not submit the low bid. The contractor’s bid of $21,084 was $4,584 more than a bid from Property Care Plus and $284 more than a bid from Achorn and Sons. J & H Landscaping, of Bristol, submitted a bid of $36,000.
The selectmen said the low bidder, Property Care Plus, did not participate in a prebid walk-through.
Newcastle Board of Selectmen Chairman Brian Foote said he was “really curious, at $16,500, if he’s going to be able to do the work,” while the other contractors were relatively close to each other in price, or much higher.
Selectman Ellen Dickens echoed Foote’s uncertainty. “I really wonder whether that person is comfortable with the level of what’s going to be required in the bid,” Dickens said.
“I think I’d leave it with F & S,” Dickens said. “They know what’s expected of them.”
Foote said F & S “has been doing a great job” for the town. “We have a good working relationship already,” he said.
Selectman Chris Doherty said he would prefer to accept the low bid, but he voted for F & S with the rest of the board.
