The Old Highway 82 bridge project will once again be revisited the Columbus City Council. According to City Engineer Kevin Stafford, the board Tuesday will accept bids on the project. The board will vote to accept the lowest bid Tuesday night.
“If we get bids that are acceptable, we should be able to move forward on this,” Stafford said.
This is the second time the council will open sealed bids on the project. In February, two companies placed bids, with both exceeding the budgeted cost of $2.2 million.
Malouf Construction LLC, of Starkville, came in with the low bid at $2.5 million. Phillips Contracting, of Columbus, entered a bid of $3 million.
The bridge, which spans the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway beside the Columbus Riverwalk, will be restored as closely as possible to its original condition and turned into a pedestrian walkway. It is being funded by $133,000 apiece from the city of Columbus, Lowndes County, and the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. The remainder of the project will be funded by an MDOT grant.
Also on Tuesday, the council will vote to appoint an appointee to the City Utilities Commission. Jimmy Graham’s term expires June 30. Graham is the only applicant at this time. The council will also vote on an appointee to the Golden Triangle Airport Board. Johnny Fisher’s term expires Tuesday. Fisher and Keith Worshaim have applied for the position.
The sagging pants ordinance will be voted on for final approval Tuesday evening. The ordinance, which is modeled after a similar ordinance in Tupelo, will add some additional guideline to the city’s existing indecent exposure policy. It was approved on a 4-2 vote in May but it had to be tabled for 30 days.
Street paving for the city’s six wards will also be discussed by the council. Mayor Robert Smith has suggested the council divide the remaining $1 million from general obligation bond money equally for ward-specific paving projects.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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