Builders are not happy with way bids went out
MUNISING -- Some builders in Munising are upset that the city chose not to seek bids for the construction of its new fire hall.
At Monday night's city commission meeting, those builders voiced their frustration. They say the city should have contacted each builder letting them know of the available work. The commission said they advertised the project once in October of last year and again in March.
To save money, the city chose to go with a local company that could both design and build the fire hall. They did this because the company is then responsible for any design flaws.
Construction on the hall is 50 percent complete.
"You can't come into the ballgame in the seventh inning, you know--if you're not a starting pitcher or in the rotation in some way--you don't come in the seventh inning and say, 'Hey, I want to be a part of this team because it's a winning team.' You've got to be there at the beginning, and unfortunately some of these people weren't, and again I don't blame them. Everybody's hungry because of the economy, I don't blame them whatsoever. If I were in those shoes, I might feel the same way," said Munising City Manager, Doug Bovin.
Bovin says the city also saved money by trading the land with the contracting company.
Construction should be finished by late September.
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