The three bids received by the Lambertville City Council all were above the $250,000 estimated for the project.
By: Mae Rhine
LAMBERTVILLE The City Council Monday once again rejected bids for the reconstruction of Buttonwood Street.
It also approved $75,000 to purchase a tiny piece of land for a park in the Connaught Hill section of the city ($75,000). A bond ordinance for $25,000 to purchase a chipper was defeated, 301.
The city had estimated the Buttonwood project at about $250,000 for the entire length of the street from Main to Clinton streets.
The bids this time were $403,893.25 from Renda Roads, $330,000 from Marvic and $340,641 from Jonico, according to City Clerk Mary Sheppard.
The city decided to wait until next January or February, she said, when contractors may be "hungry" for work.
She said some residents are upset the reconstruction work calls for the removal of 13 trees. But no one showed up Monday to protest.
The bond ordinance for the chipper was nixed by Cynthia Ege; four votes are needed to introduce a bond ordinance. Mayor David Del Vecchio and councilmen John McManus and Steve Stegman voted for purchase of the chipper.
Mrs. Ege said she did not want the city to go into debt to purchase equipment, Ms. Sheppard said.
The park property ordinance was approved for $75,000, although officials are hoping that will be about $25,000 more than needed.
Ms. Sheppard said the land is only about a quarter of an acre. As there is no clear title, the city needs to do title and other work to foreclose on the property, she said.
The money for the land, which officials hope will be a pocket park in its continuing redevelopment of the area, is actually "money coming back to us," Ms. Sheppard said.
The city has about $54,000 stashed through the county open space tax program, she explained.