Mahoning Twp. rejects roadwork bid

Mahoning Township’s board of supervisors rejected their sole bid for seal coat work at Wednesday’s meeting.

Shiffer Bituminous Service Co. in Kresgeville offered a rate of $1.80 per square yard of single bituminous seal coat using a polymer modified emulsion on Ashtown Drive, Troxell Road, Beisel’s Road, Upper Nis Hollow Drive and Gilbert Hollow Drive. The workload would have covered near 53,000 square yards total, amounting to $94,644 bid.

The supervisors unanimously voted against the bid. Chairman Franklin Ruch followed up the motion with a question as to whether the board should advertise for bids again, though Ruch and Supervisor Bruce Steigerwalt agreed it was too late in the season to do so.

Steigerwalt said that Shiffer had previously offered a rate of $1.35 per square yard to Franklin Township.

“Is there any reason we could, or should, contact him and ask why we wouldn’t get the same as Franklin?” Supervisor John Wieczorek said.

Ruch said that while they could ask, it was unlikely that they would receive a discounted rate.

“That’s like $20,000 higher than I would have guessed. I was estimating $1.40, because Franklin had $1.35. And even if we would have been at $1.50, that would have been reasonable. But an additional 40 cents? That’s $25,000 or $30,000 that we could put in paved blacktop,” Steigerwalt said.

The supervisors said that as it was late in the season for roadwork bids, many companies already have full schedules, and those that have openings can easily charge elevated rates.

“They’re booked up, so they figure they’ll give us $1.80, and if we really want it done, we’ll pay them. And if we don’t, they don’t care, because they’ve got work booked,” Ruch said.

Secretary-Treasurer Natalie Haggerty said that she would advertise the same projects for bid next year, likely in February or March in order to lock in a more favorable rate.