Pekin Board Discusses Concrete Bids

PACKWOOD – During a special meeting of the Pekin School Board on July 9, the board discussed bids for two pieces of concrete work at the football field. Work planned includes installing a new pad for the visitors side bleachers and installing a new retaining wall on the home side bleachers. For the visitors side, the district received an $18,779.25 bid from McClure & Company Concrete and a $16,200 bid from SRC Concrete. Board member J.J. Greiner stated it would be preferable for both sections to be handled by the same company. Board member Mike Sieren said the board should decide bids based on the retaining wall, which will be a bigger project.

For the retaining wall, the district received a $131,283.50 bid from McClure, a $67,325 bid from SRC and a $48,968.57. The McClure and SRC bids both proposed tearing out and replacing the wall, including its footing, which is currently only 12 inches into the ground. The McClure bid proposed reinforcing the wall by building 15 kicker walls, while the SRC bid proposed tying rebar into the slabs. The Thrasher bid, instead of offering to replace the wall, proposed installing 47 anchors into the wall to keep it upright. Superintendent Jeff Maeder stated that the old concrete wall lasted for 30-35 years and that a replacement would likely last even longer, due to the wall going four-feet into the ground and being better protected from the elements. Maeder stated that Thrasher gave him a guarantee that their work would keep the wall upright for 25 years and that Thrasher was the most likely to make the Aug. 19 deadline, needed to get the new bleachers installed in time for the first home football game on Aug. 30.

Board member Ray Fear asked if SRC would finish in time. Maeder stated that all of the contractors told him they would probably be done in time, but none of them gave a guarantee. Sieren stated that the board would go with SRC if they did not have the deadline, and that the gate money lost from moving the Aug. 30 game was minor compared to the construction costs. The board approved both of SRC’s bids.