Politics & Government

Public Works Building on Table for Forks Tonight

Township Board of Supervisors could finalize contract tonight.

The Forks Township Board of Supervisors will consider awarding a contract for work on the new public works building tonight.

The meeting is set for 7:30pm in the municipal complex at 1606 Sullivan Trail.

, supervisors tabled a vote on the estimated $3.7 million facility after questions arose over wording within the contract for architectural firm Kimmel-Bogrette. According to the contract, Kimmel-Bogrette could charge overrun construction fees at $15,000 per issue for design changes, omissions and unforeseen conditions. Kimmel-Bogrette’s fees have been capped off at $408,000, according to project specifications. The board is concerned that these charges could contribute in taking the project over budget in the long run. The board has until Sept. 25 to award the contract.

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

, the supervisors delayed voting on bids for the 23,000-square-foot project after they came in more than $1 million the estimated cost. As it stands, the project could cost at least $4.75 million, which was the lowest proposal presented in July.

This is the second time bids have come in higher than expected. In February, the lowest total was $5.29 million. At that time, the township received 12 bids -- compared with the latest submission of 29 bids.

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Sept. 2, the supervisors tabled the awarding of the contract to general contractor Gordon H. Baver Inc. of Pennsburg (Montgomery County). Baver submitted the second-lowest bid at $4.8 million.

Perrotto Builders Ltd. of Blue Bell (Montgomery County) submitted the lowest bid but did not receive the township’s okay after several pending lawsuits -- including three multimillion-dollar suits -- appeared in the background check performed by township solicitor Karl Kline. The firm failed to include this information in its proposal, Kline said. The township asks companies to include a five-year history of lawsuits with their proposals, he said.

Reference checks did not come back favorably and the company's financial statements raised serious questions about its ability to perform the job on budget, Kline added.  


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