Howardwick okays paving bid

The City of Howardwick accepted a bid for road construction during a called meeting January 23 to improve a stretch of Rick Husband Boulevard.

The $219,499.50 bid of G&G Operators of Dalhart was accepted as the lowest bid. The highest bid was $428,980 from West Texas Utility Contractors.

City Secretary Sandy Childress said the scope of the work covers drainage improvements from the draw between Dawn Drive and Porter Drive and extending about 800 linear feet northwest on Rick Husband, tearing up that section of road and replacing it with hot mix asphalt.

Childress the original plan for the grant project when it was first conceived in 2020 was to improve Rick Husband much further, going all the way past City Hall to Swanson Street. Increasing costs over time whittled the project down, she said.

The city is, however, negotiating with the contractor and the agencies providing the Community Development Block Grant funding the project in hopes of issuing a change order on the contract that would allow more paving to be done.

Childress said doing a two-course chip seal instead of hot mix would lengthen the amount of new paving that could be done on this project.

Childress said the city has some COVID-relief funds still on hand that might be used to purchase some equipment that would allow the city to do some of the work to rip up the existing road itself, which also allow more of the CDBG grant money to go further with paving.

“The contractor has no problem with it, but we have to get everyone else to agree,” she said.

Childress is also encouraged that the city will have a good chance at winning a second grant once this one is completed. The next grant could provide as much as $500,000 for future paving.

“They tell me once you get the first grant, it’s easier to get a second one,” she said.

The city expects the paving project as it currently is planned to begin in March and be completed within 60 days. If the city is allowed to make its desired change order, that timeline may change, Childress said.