Mike Reese from the Troyer Group recommended delaying the bid process for the Centennial Park Trail and Hoosier Old Wheels Playground project during Monday’s Plymouth Park Board meeting. In his recommendation he said, “In the last month we have followed the bidding climate and had discussions with contractors and have concluded that it would be in the best interest to bid the project in the fall and start construction in the spring of 2022.”
There were several reasons for recommending the delay including bid prices. Reese said, “Recent bid prices for projects in the last two months have been much higher than expected. The most common reason is regarding certain building material and asphalt.” He also noted materials are having a longer lead time and that would impact the project’s time frame.”
Weather and schedule are another reason. Troyer said, “The critical path for this project is getting the playground prepped for the safety surfacing to be installed prior to cold weather.” Temperatures need to be at least 40 degrees and the contractor needs the soils from the trail excavating to create the mound.
The final reason was workload and schedules. Reese told the park board he’s spoked to contractors, and they are too busy to take on extra work especially considering the aggressive schedule.
The Plymouth Park Board agreed with the recommendation of the Troyer Group to delay the bid to October or November so contractors can plan their spring schedules and hopefully get a more competitive bid.
