Lewiston to consider appeal on demolition decision
Courtesy / St. Laurent & Sons
St. Laurent & Sons, which recently bid on a demolition project in Lewiston, previously handled demolition after arson damaged buildings on Bartlett and Pierce streets.
The Lewiston City Council tonight will consider whether to award a contract for demolition work to the low bidder — and overrule the action of the council’s Finance Committee.
The committee voted last week not to award a potential $135,000 contract for removing three blighted buildings. City Administrator Edward A. Barrett on Oct. 22 appealed the decision, according to a memo, and asked the council to give the contract to Lewiston-based St. Laurent & Sons Excavation.
St. Laurent was one of three contractors that submitted bids to demolish properties at 107 Bartlett St., 119 Bartlett St. and 42 Walnut St., all purchased by LA Community Housing and slated for redevelopment. St. Laurent’s bid was $37,050, while the next lowest offer was nearly $80,000, according to the city. The proposals would charge extra costs for fill, loam and seed.
But in a 2-3 vote, the Finance Committee failed to award the contract to St. Laurent — or either of the other two bidders.
It’s not clear why the committee didn’t make an award. But according to Barrett’s memo, “The discussion and the questions [of the committee] were focused on the nature of the project, not the price and qualifications of the bidder.”
The council resolution being taken up tonight says, “It appears that the majority of the Committee voted against this award based on their opposition to the Council's decision to authorize this expenditure.”
The committee also did not seem to find fault with how the contractor was to be selected.
“There was no discussion of the adequacy of the bidding process or of any of the considerations set forth in the city's purchasing policy that are to be used to determine the lowest responsible bidder,” Barrett’s memo reads.
Barrett contended that the city is required to award contracts like this to the lowest bidder, and added: “St. Laurent is a known and reliable contractor who has performed a considerable amount of work for the city. This contractor's proposal meets all the requirements for the lowest responsible bid.”
The company was founded in 1970 and employs about 50 people. Its previous demolition work for Lewiston includes the removal of buildings on Bartlett and Pierce streets, not far from the three sites. The previous demolitions were of buildings damaged by a series of arson fires in 2013.
The council is scheduled to take up Barrett’s appeal in a special session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, in Lewiston City Hall, 27 Pine St.
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