Sarasota News Leader

05/10/2013

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Sarasota News Leader May 10, 2013 Page 62 ta Village, staff ended up working with SKVA representatives to conduct demonstrations in the Village last summer. The goal was to settle on the best options for illumination. After the island representatives settled on bollards with LED lighting, the County Commission on Sept. 25, 2012 asked staff to obtain quotes for such bollards then report back. hoping to spend, but it sure beats four or five times that quote, with most of the money going to the installation." The quote process through the county's Procurement Department netted no results, Montague reminded the commissioners, with vendors saying they could not handle the work for less than the $50,000 threshold the board had set. Everyone with whom she had discussed the matter, she noted, had agreed that better lighting was needed. When the Procurement Department subsequently advertised for bids, the only response had the $118,000 figure. She added, "The Village is really a very attractive place. It attracts a lot of folks … and people cross the street a lot at night at those crosswalks." Patterson also thanked the staff members who were involved in the undertaking that led to the May 7 vote. "[They] really worked this one to bring the costs down," she pointed out, saying she wished staff had done the same to contain the expense of the planned Siesta stormwater project at the public beach. (The commission awarded that project to a firm two weeks ago at a bid that was almost three times the county estimate.) Afterward, James K. Harriott Jr., the county's chief engineer, suggested the county could buy the bollards directly from a manufacturer and use a firm already under contract with the county to install them at seven Village cross- Additionally, Patterson commended van Roekens, Matthes and Smith for their efforts. "All walks. volunteered their time to quite an extent to Montague told the commissioners on May 7 come up with the right bollards," she said. that Doug Clark Electric had provided a verbal estimate of installation costs in the amount Commissioner Charles Hines praised the staff of $40,000, while Windemuller Technical Ser- as well. "This, to me, is the right process," he vices had offered a written bid of $59,410.71. said of the effort to bring the cost down. He added that he wished staff would challenge Both are Sarasota firms. estimates on larger projects, using common Montague pointed out that the commission sense in deciding when figures were unreacould direct staff to rebid the project, proceed sonably high, "rather than just getting the inwith the plan to purchase the equipment and formation and bringing it to us." have it installed by a firm already under contract with the county or seek another invita- Referring again to the bollards project, Hines tion for quotes. noted, "This is good business application by you all." When Patterson made her motion, she noted, "This is approximately twice … what we were "Thank you," Montague replied. %

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