Fire station bids high; Decatur to make cuts

DECATUR — Bids for the construction of an addition to the Decatur Fire Station were more than $70,000 higher than anticipated and plans will have to be scaled back, according to Mayor Charles Linam.

City officials opened bids from six construction companies for the project on Dec. 22. The lowest bid, by Pick-It Construction of Fayetteville, was for $161,100, and the highest bid, by Mahon Construction, Inc. of Bee Branch, was for $231,715.

Decatur was awarded a $75,000 matching grant from the Arkansas Rural Development Commission last March. The city will be required to match 10 percent of the grant money for the project.

The addition was originally estimated to cost $90,000 and would have included a bathroom and office space. A truck bay and deck were later added to the plans.

Linam said it is not yet clear if the project will have to be rebid. Changes could be made to the plans to cut costs and the lowest bid could be re-negotiated for up to 25 percent less or the plans could be entirely redrawn and the bidding process started over, Linam explained.