Borough Council to Look at Bids for Projects

West Chester Borough Council voted to open up two projects for bidding during Wednesday night’s borough council meeting.

The borough will look at bids for the police department expansion project and the public works building renovation; however, several members of council said that any further work on the projects was very unlikely.

“These are projects the borough needs to go ahead with,” said council vice president Chuck Christy.  “But we can’t afford it.  Moving forward would allow us to just see pricing.”

“Basically we’re just fact finding,” said council member Tom Paxson.  “If by some miracle the economy picks up then we’ll have up to date pricing.  This gives us a frame of reference.”

However, several members of council did not see the point of looking at bids for projects the borough had no intention of starting.

“I would like to see new facilities,” said council member Susan Bayne.  “But I have to vote no because the timing isn’t right.”

Bayne added, “I don’t want to know what an estimate is.  We don’t have the resources or the wherewithal. “

Bayne, along with council members Holly Brown and John Manion, argued that it didn’t make sense for the borough to spend money on advertising the bids when those same bids wouldn’t lead anywhere.

According to borough manager Ernie McNeely it would cost the borough $300-400 to advertise the projects.

“It’s a way to get cheap information,” said council member Jim Jones.  “$300 isn’t a lot to pay if you’re at all curious about what a project like this is worth.”

“We’re just looking at pricing,” Paxson said, again.  “We can use this information to help us with future projects.”

The borough will open the bids for the police expansion project on November 17, and the bids for the public works renovations will be opened on November 3.

“If I had to be in favor of either of these projects it would be public works,” Jones said.  “That one would save us money.  It produces a plus on the revenue side.”

“The public works building is in my ward,” Bayne said.  “I talk to a lot of my neighbors and some of them are excited about the updates, some are dismayed.  Most are mainly concerned with the cost.”

“I don’t know if having the bids changes anything,” said council member Cassandra Jones.