Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6, NOVEMBER 3, 2008, THE ISLANDER
Gateway project
Continued from Page 1
and is now ready to award the con
struction contract, but the project may
get put off just a few more weeks.
Bruner went to the Glynn County
Finance Committee last Tuesday, Oct.
28 with a recommendation to award
the project contract to low bidder
Sayar Enterprises, Inc. dba Southern
Development Corp. (SDC) of Jackson
ville at a cost of $3,237,412.
Commissioner Tony Thaw (Dist.
3), who chairs the finance committee,
asked if the project was going to be
done at night to minimize the disrup
tion of traffic flow.
SDC vice president Rick Smith said
there was no night work mentioned in
the contract document, although it
did include a traffic control plan to
keep traffic flowing.
Thaw said, “I’m asking to amend
the contract to include night work.”
Thaw explained that when the
Demere-Frederica Rd. roundabout
project was under construction there
were alternate routes drivers could
take to avoid the intersection and the
construction.
But, Thaw said, in the case of the
Gateway project there are no alter
nate routes, so 100% of the daily traf
fic that goes through the intersection
now will still have to go through dur
ing construction.
“If traffic is going to be delayed,”
said Thaw, “work needs to be done at
night when traffic is light.”
Unwilling to commit to night work,
Smith responded, “The bid document
is very specific about lane closures.
That's how the project was bid.”
“Closing lanes and delaying traf
fic is not acceptable to me,” Thaw
insisted.
Smith said that once the traffic con
trol devices are in place, such as the
orange plastic barrels and temporary
lane re-striping, the company will be
working outside the traffic lanes.
“What aspect of work are we talk
ing about doing at night?,” Smith
asked.
“Whatever delays traffic,” Thaw
answered, “We had a minimum
amount of delay during the round
about project.”
Smith suggested the county modify
the plan to include night work and his
company could review it.
Initially Commissioner Uli Keller
(Dist. 2) sided with Smith saying,
“There’s a detailed traffic control
plan that is part of the bid document
that doesn’t include night work. I
would prefer working at night, but
that would change the bid document.
Would we have to rebid it in that
case?”
Thaw said he thought they could
amend the bid document.
Assistant County Attorney Will
Worley stepped in at this point say
ing they could change minor things,
technicalities, in the document, but
not major issues such as the scope of
work.
“But,” Worley continued, “this
sounds like a scope of work issue,
not a minor change. If that’s the case
then state law requires the project be
rebid.”
Still concerned about traffic delays,
Thaw said, “Right now, if you close
one lane of the (F. J.) Torras Causeway
for 20 minutes, traffic will be backed
up to Brunswick. In fact, the recent
Causeway widening project was done
at night. This is important to me.”
Keller asked Smith if they would
be closing any lanes.
Smith said no, but the portion of
King’s Way between the end of the
Torras Causeway and Sea Island Rd.
would be closed.
“There will be two way traffic
throughout the job,” said Smith.
Keller said, ‘We have to have two
lanes open in both directions at all
times. If it is less than that, traffic
will be a nightmare and we will be
run out of town. The legal question
is, if we change the bid document, do
we have to rebid, because of the cost
change?”
Worley said, “Most likely, it sounds
like the change will change the proj
ect price prior to the bid being signed.
State law says all bidders must have a
chance to bid if there is a cost change
in the project. They all must have a
chance to bid on the revised plan.”
Thaw asked, “If we award him the
contract first, can we change it?”
Worley said, “The law contem
plates change orders during construc
tion, but it’s best to get it right on the
front end, then everyone has a fair
chance.”
Pointing out that the roundabout
project was changed to add night
work, Thaw suggested that Bruner
and Smith get together and see what
they could work out.
Bruner explained, “The round
about bid document included night
work for underground pipe-crossing
work when the road had to be dug
up. Also, the company chose to work
at night because it worked out better
for them.”
Thaw said, “It makes good sense
to work at night on this project, espe
cially since this is the only road on
and off the island.”
Commissioner Carl Johnson, who
agreed with Thaw, asked how long it
would take to complete the Gateway
project.
Bruner said it was a 270 day (9
months) contract.
Keller made a motion to defer the
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City delegates go to China
Continued from Page 1
wick (ports and tourism) were much
larger than Brunswick. Chinese cit
ies comprise several districts and are
more like our counties."
"So we took a regional approach
and formed a partnership with Hines-
ville and Savannah to partner as a
region with a province in China."
Brunswick, Hinesville and Savan
nah will partner with the Jiangxi
province in China. Delegations from
the Georgia cities will travel sepa
rately but will arrive in the Jiangxi
province's capital city of Nanchang at
about the same time. Jiangxi, south
west of Shanghai, is an inland port
province.
The delegation will spend two days
in Nanchang and then the Brunswick
delegation will travel to its sister city,
Guangzhou, which is in the southern
part of the Jiangxi province. Guang
zhou has rivers and waterways which
feed into the South China Sea.
"We will get to know the Mayor
and Vice Mayor of the City and the
Governor of the province," Thompson
said. "And we will sign the formal
papers to establish the relationship.
Next spring a Chinese delegation will
travel to Brunswick to sign the agree
ment."
What the Brunswick delegation
issue to the Nov. 11 finance commit
tee meeting and have Bruner and
Smith see what could be incorporated
as night work without changing the
price.
County Administrator Charles
Stewart suggested Bruner and Smith
may be able to work something out by
the Nov. 6 regular county commission
meeting and it could be added to the
agenda in order to avoid any delay
in the project. If not, Stewart said it
could still be deferred to Nov. 11.
Keller modified his motion to reflect
Stewart’s suggestion. It passed unani
mously. □
will gain from the relationship is
cultural and educational exchanges.
"But," Thompson said, "we are adding
economic development and economic
cooperation opportunities on the front
end."
"Now that we have a four year
college we see a definite possibility
of exchange students in the future,"
added Thompson.
The cost of the trip will not come
from City tax dollars. Most of the
trip's expenses will be picked up by
the Chinese government.
The cost of the Brunswick dele
gation's trip is about $7,000. This
includes airfare for four people plus
the gifts which will be delivered to the
Chinese.
Gifts, purchased locally, are several
sea turtle mementoes, a painting of a
heron by local artist Kurt Browning,
and a pewter bowl from jeweler Ned
Cash with the City's insignia. Total
for the gifts is $1,500.
The funds used for the airfare and
gifts will come from a 22 year old
federal Urban Development Action
Grant (UDAG) which was used to pro
vide gap funding for the Jekyll Island
Hotel refurbishment.
For the past 20 years the Hotel has
repaid $11,000 a month to the City
and in February 2007 finished the
repayment by making a $1.3 million
balloon payment.
"All payments went back to the
UDAG community development
grant," Thompson said. "This UDAG
has been one of the most successful
grants of its type in the state because
it was successfully applied and admin
istered over the past two decades.
Many of these loans defaulted." This
particular type of federal grant is no
longer available.
"The City has reaped benefits
because of the City's successful imple
mentation of this grant," he said.
The delegation will return to Bruns
wick late Friday, November 7. □
Property Sales
on St. Simons and Sea Island
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Elizabeth Johnson
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Transfer
Tax
Seller
Buyer
Location/Legal
Description/Address
St Simons
S 164.00
Bruce, Donald R &
Frost, Vicki F
Unit 14 Bldg A, Ocean Walk
Mary Beth
Condos, **850 Mallory St
#14-A
S 339.50
Timm, Lane
Prudential Relocation Inc
Lot 115, Ph 2, The Commons
at Frederica
S 380.00
Caudell, J Keith
McElroy, Gerald B & Lisa R Lot 120, Ph 2, The Commons
at Frederica, **212 W
Commons Dr
S 1,000.00
Barefoot, Patricia
Hockman, Thomas C;
Lots 1 & 2, Blk 29, East
Cofer; Cofer, Donald
Thomas C Hockman Revoc
Beach
Gene
Trust
S 7,500.00
Boone & Monaghan
LLC
Hampton River Marina LLC 5.800 Acs, Hampton River
Marina
5 Warranty Deeds for Sea Island & St. Simons for week ending 10/24/2008