This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Jonestown Borough Council opted to wait to act on a bid for the George H. Kaufman Community Park playground improvement project until either their next workshop or the July meeting.
The project was put out for bid in May to be completed in August. Only one bid was received, from Construction Master Services, totaling $120,899.
This bid came in significantly higher than the council was anticipating. Council chair Tom Keefer said the total budget for the project was $141,467, including $68,000 for equipment and more for delivery.
Engineer Lee Strause said part of the reason the development costs came in so high was that the project was bid on fairly late in the year, and most construction companies already had full schedules.
The improvement project is funded partially through a DCNR grant. However, Keefer said the grant funds can be used to purchase and deliver equipment to the site, so the council may be able to wait until the spring of 2024 to complete construction.
As of now, no final decision has been made, but Keefer said he is leaning toward rejecting the bid and rebidding the project.
In other news, the council:
- Unanimously adopted Ordinance #1-2023 regulating tree, shrub, bush, and plant growth adjacent to streets and sidewalks.
- Unanimously approved solicitor Colleen Gallo executing the Agreement of Sale for purchased land from the school district.
- Unanimously agreed to accept Wendy Shollenberger’s resignation from the Tax Compliance Committee Board.
- Unanimously agreed to pay a $275.60 invoice to Tillett Toilets for the 2023 block party.
Jonestown Borough Council meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at 295 S. Mill St. The next meeting will be held July 5 on account of the holiday.
These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
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