Bloomfield City Council OKs soliciting bids for City Hall renovation project

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Monday, April 13, 2020 — Mayor Christopher Dudgeon called the Bloomfield City Council meeting to order Monday for the first time in the council’s history using the Zoom videoconferencing service.

The mayor and council took a little time to get acclimated to the videoconferencing, and the meeting was conducted without a major glitch.

CITY HALL RENOVATIONS. After discussing the matter, the council agreed to move ahead and seek bids for the city hall renovations and relocate the police department.

The council had a single estimate of $36,000 from Philip Snyder, which Dudgeon said was a “rough estimate.” The work will involve moving the police department into the area now serving as office space for the mayor and City Clerk Karen Biederman, he explained.

Mayor Dudgeon told the council they could decide to seek additional bids now or do it later. “What we need to talk about is how soon we want to open this up to bids,” he said.

Snyder’s bid came about after he was asked to look over City Hall to see how it could be configured for a police department.

Councilman John Hammond suggested putting the job out for bids as soon as possible. Once bids are received, the council can determine the timing for moving forward on the project, he said.

Councilman Nathan Jones agreed with moving forward for bids. He questioned an additional $5,000 manager’s fee on Snyder’s estimate that was not included in his $36,000 estimate.

The council also had to consider how it wanted to cover the costs of the renovation project, the mayor said.

Dudgeon said the city’s public improvement account contained a $21,000 certificate of deposit as well as a $56,000 balance. The public improvement account represents the rent the city has received over the years from the water company.

“If we’re only collecting rent on this building, it only makes sense to use that money to renovate this building,” Dudgeon told the council. “We could even start the project now and build part of the expense into the budget next year. We don’t have to take it all out of the public improvement account.”

When the bids come in, the council can reevaluate how to fund the project, Dudgeon said.

Councilman Jones said the city will need to provide a detailed scope of work document to give contractors sufficient information for creating bids.

PARK BUDGET AMENDMENT. The council approved second reading on an ordinance that amends the city park 2019-20 fiscal year budget.

The ordinance was introduced but the actual budget changes were not read into the record.

In other action, the council:

— approved Jones & Associates to conduct the city’s next financial audit for fiscal year 2020-21. This will be the second year the city has used the audit services of Jones & Associates.

— the council again postponed discussion about the possible closing of Third Street.

— Bloomfield Police Chief Scott Dennis reported that the city has experienced a rash of thefts and burglaries since the COVID-19 restrictions were established and people are staying home more. The number of citations has dropped due to the reduction in vehicle traffic, he said.

— heard Mayor Dudgeon stress that citizens need to follow the guidelines established by Gov. Andy Beshear to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. He suggested on calling elderly family members and friends to see if they need assistance.

NEXT UP. The Bloomfield City Council’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 11, 2020.

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