The Sunflower County Board of Supervisors took a pair of bids on the courthouse’s renovation project under advisement this week. County Engineer Ron Cassada presented to the board the bids for the CDBG Project. This is the third rebid on the project. He said the county did not receive any bids the first time around, and in the second rebid, the contractor left a major portion out of the bid, and the county rejected the bid. Timbo’s Construction and David Smith Construction are the two contractors that are bidding for this project. The estimate for this project is $450,000. Timbo’s total bid was $288,000. Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams asked, “How much is our grant?” Cassada explained that the total is $510,000, with contingencies. The county put $200,000 toward the grant. The board has been awarded the funds. Cassada said, “If you all only put in $200,000, then you’ve gotten well over $300,000. If Timbo’s is in good shape.” Donald said, “Oh, that’s why it’s so cheap – it’s just a ramp.” Cassada said, “Oh, no, no, no! We are redoing the entire elevator and the bathrooms.” The county had a contractor working on the bathrooms at the courthouse previously, but the contractor quit the job. David Smith Construction had a bid of $430,700. Cassada told the board that he would talk to someone at Timbo’s Construction to verify that they understood all of the requirements of the project. Cassada said, “Normally, I would say let’s recommend the award to the lowest bid because Timbo’s is a good contractor.” The board approved taking the bids under advisement due to the major difference in the bidding amounts.
