PLATTSMOUTH - Although Plattsmouth’s riverfront may never be the same as it was in 2017, city council members awarded a $122,452 bid Monday night for repairing the boat ramp and dock road.

The contract for the project was awarded to Final Grade Construction and Conservation LLC of Plattsmouth won the bid by submitting the low bid among the six companies contacted for the project. Kerns Excavating Company bid the project at $167,110 and Midwest Mechanical Industrial Service’s bid was $182,125. No bids were received from DPS LLC, High Plains Enterprises and Kyle Hughes.

City Engineer Steve Perry: “This is the first project with our firm that Final grade Construction and Conservation, LLC has been the apparent low bidder. We requested and reviewed information from the contractor and have contacted three references from current and past projects.’

Based on Olmstead and Perry Engineering staff’s review of the bids submitted, Perry said his office recommended the city council award the contract to Final Grade.

Perry: “The project was bid with a final completion date of Sept. 10….The contractor asked to start immediately, which probably means in the next two weeks.”

The work includes repairing the boat dock, removing the asphalt surfacing on the roadway, then reconstructing the roadway with crushed stone for a base and creating a subbase six inches deep of crush rock.

Perry: “They will also create a parking lot to the north of the boat ramp that will be able to contain 10 vehicles and/or trailers. The scope of the work ends where the asphalt surfacing ends on the north side. They will work in and around the boat ramp.”

Because the project was originally estimated at $208,000, Councilman Terry Kerns asked if the city should spend the extra $75,000 or $100,000 to fill in the area father north of the boat ramp.

Kerns: “Wouldn’t it be good idea to bring extra dirt in to fill that roadway pricewise?”

Perry: “Now would be the time to do that, but we would need to start that conversation very soon.”

City Administrator Erv Portis explained that the extra work could cost more than $100,000.

Portis: “FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has been very clear it would pay for 75 percent. NEMA (Nebraska Emergency Management will pay for 12.5 percent with the city responsible for the remaining 12.5 percent. If we are looking at adding it, we need to find out if the contractor is interested in doing it as a change order.”

Portis added that the FEMA funds will not be available for several months.

Portis: “I have been looking at last year’s budget and as it relates to the General Fund, I have to find about $500,000 to cut from the next fiscal year’s budget.”