Dear Editor:
This is an open copy of a letter I sent Friday to a Meeker resident wanting an update on the Meeker Sidewalk Project.
I have confirmation as of (Thursday) that the bid is approved for advertisement.
The advertisement takes three weeks with another two to three weeks for bid approval. And, at the very best, the project would be awarded in six to eight weeks from today.
At the last Meeker Board of Trustees meeting, the consensus was that there is not adequate time to complete the project before this fall with the onset of colder weather.
We are not comfortable that the construction will be completed prior to bad weather setting in, and the concrete must be treated due to the large amounts of Magnesium Chloride (road salt) that CDOT dumps along the highway corridor where the sidewalks are to be constructed.
Therefore, the town has instructed our engineer (SGM) to commence with the bidding process for a construction timeframe of next May and completion by the end of June 2015.
Had we gotten the Notice to Proceed (NTP) even a few weeks earlier from CDOT, we would have commenced and done the project right now.
So, please be advised that you are fine with leaving your items in the right-of-way until next May.
At that time, I assume that the awarded contractor will begin their notifications to remove any personal items encroaching within the state highway right-of-way you may have.
Thank you for your patience. I hope this resolves any question you have regarding the town’s schedule for the sidewalk construction.
Scott W. Meszaros, CMC
Town Administrator
Meeker