By Andrea Arens
Everyone was watching for another building to get bulldozed downtown. Equipment was dropped Monday morning but, by Tuesday morning, the equipment was gone.
O’Neill Excavating, the contractor who was awarded the contract, was contacted for comment and would not say anything regarding the job other than there were “contract issues.”
Back in December, the village board unanimously approved the service agreement to O’Neill Excavating in the amount of $22,000 to demolish 206 N. Second. At the time, Trustee Jones had asked how deep the excavation needed to go in order to plant good soil. Public Works Manager Robert Hennke said at least a foot, but Trustee Gary Hudson had said the contract read excavate and fill up to eight inches. The property has a seven-foot deep basement, and the entire foundation would need to be removed.
Mayor Peter March was asked by The Vedette what was happening. March replied, “The contractor decided he did not want to honor the contract that he bid on and was awarded by the village. There was not a problem with the contract. The scope of work was clearly stated in the bid documents. We are pursuing another contractor ASAP.”