The Southern Shores Town Council unanimously voted this morning to accept a bid of $1,667,178.70 by Smith-Rowe LLC for what is now being called the Trinitie Trail Bridge Construction Project and to authorize the Town Manager to execute a contract on behalf of the Town with the Mt. Airy, N.C. construction company.
Town Councilman Mark Batenic did not attend this morning’s meeting, described by the Town as a “reconvening” of the Council’s Oct. 1 regular meeting. The vote, therefore, was 4-0.
According to Town Manager Cliff Ogburn, the Town received four bids for the proposed bridge reconstruction project, ranging from Smith-Rowe’s low bid of nearly $1.7 million to the highest bid, which, he said, was $900,000 more.
Because the project involved a public construction contract financed by more than $500,000 in public money, the Town was required by State statute to award it to the “lowest responsible bidder,” after taking into consideration the quality, performance, and time specified in the bidder’s proposal. (See N.C. General Statutes sec. 143-129.)
Smith-Rowe’s bid qualified it as both the lowest responsible and lowest “responsive” bidder, Mr. Ogburn said, explaining that a responsive bid meets all of the requirements of the bid submission process, as well as all applicable legal requirements.
North Carolina courts have interpreted “responsible” to imply “skill, judgment, and integrity, necessary to the faithful performance of the contract, as well as sufficient financial resources and ability.” (Kinsey Contracting Co. v. The City of Fayetteville, a 1992 N.C. Court of Appeals decision.)
To see a photo gallery of bridges that Smith-Rowe has built in North Carolina, see https://www.smithrowe.com/bridge- construction-services/.
The 32-year-old company claims on its website to have built more than 400 bridges in its service area, which includes Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia, as well as the heart of North Carolina.
Mr. Ogburn said that Smith-Rowe will have 210 days, or about seven months, to complete the construction project after it receives a “notice to proceed” from the Town, which he said should happen soon. The Town Attorney will have to sign off on the contract first.
The Town Manager has previously said that the construction of the new cored slab bridge on Juniper/Trinitie trails would start in November and be finished by “summer 2025,” with the bridge being closed for up to six months. (See The Beacon, 3/8/24.)
Both Town Councilman Robert Neilson and Town Councilwoman Paula Sherlock expressed some concerns at today’s meeting about the design and “aesthetics” of the new bridge, saying they would like it to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood.
The Town has been engaged with engineering/planning/design consultant Kimley-Horn on this project for nearly two years. There has been ample time to explore aesthetics and to confer in public session with Kimley-Horn about design elements.
If members of the Town Council were unresolved about the replacement bridge’s appearance and suitability in Southern Shores, we are of the mind that they should have expressed their concerns long before the contract went out for bid in September.
Indeed, a special town hall meeting for the public to weigh in on Kimley-Horn’s design plans might have been beneficial for Council members and residents, alike.
By Ann G. Sjoerdsma, The Southern Shores Beacon
The Southern Shores Beacon 