Bids for work on four blocks of Payson Avenue come in under engineer’s estimate by $600,000

QUINCY — The aldermen in Quincy’s 7^th Ward announced during Monday night’s meeting of the Quincy City Council that bids to complete work on four blocks of Payson Avenue have come in under projections.

“Jack (Holtschlag) and I have some really awesome news to report tonight,” Ben Uzelac, D-7, told aldermen. “A project that we’ve been working on for almost four years, that I first started talking about right after I got elected, is Payson Avenue from Fifth Street to Eighth Street.

“We finally put that project out for bid a month or so ago, and we opened those bids last week. The engineer’s estimate was $3.2 million for this project, and our low bid was $2.6 million. The project was coming in under budget and still extremely expensive, but it’s also worth resurfacing.”

The project’s scope includes:

• Replacing a six-inch cast iron water line that was built in 1890;
• Replacing an estimated 60 lead service lines that were installed in the 1920s; 
• Repairing a section of a failed sewer and separating the sanitary storm sewer systems.

A review of the Payson Avenue bids will be discussed at Thursday’s Utilities Committee meeting. The Quincy City Council likely will vote Monday on a resolution.

Uzelac said after the meeting that the two aldermen unsuccessfully applied for a couple of grants. Waiting on the news from those applications delayed the start of the project.

“To the residents and businesses in that area, sorry that you’re going to have some construction,” Uzelac said, “I dare say it’s possible for the street to be worse than it is now. But once it’s done, I think that’s going to be just really an incredible improvement to the neighborhood.”

In other action, aldermen: 

• Waived the liquor ordinance to allow consumption and possession of alcohol on public streets, alleys, sidewalks and lots at Ninth Street between Jackson and Van Buren for multiple Quincy Notre Dame baseball games this spring.
• Approved a special event application requesting permission to hold the Erica Schroeder Benefit on May 21 on Maine Street from Sixth to Seventh. Liquor ordinances were waived.
• Approved a special event application requesting permission to hold the “Blues in the District” concerts on six Fridays this summer — June 9, June 23, July 14, July 28, August 11 and August 25. 
• Approved a special event application requesting permission to hold the Gem City Summer Music Series concerts on July 8 and Sept. 3.
• Gave permission to place signs on city right-of-way along Maine Street between Sixth and 36th Streets in conjunction with the annual Dogwood Parade on May 6.
• Approved the construction of a duplex by Aschemann and Kelley Properties on a lot at 1303 Elm that is zoned for single-family residential use.
• Approved the subdivision of 203 S. Eighth and 218-224 S. Ninth (from two lots to 35 lots) by Four Points Land Surveying and Engineering, on behalf of HW Ventures, to allow for the construction of 34 townhomes and one community building.
• Denied the vacation of the southern 95-feet by 12-feet of the public north/south alley in the city block bounded by S. Sixth, S. Seventh, State and Ohio streets. 
• Approved the rezoning of 330 S. Fifth from R3 (multi-family residential) to D2 (downtown general business to allow for the construction of an office building as requested by Paul Rees.
• Approved the rezoning of 301 Spring from D5 (downtown industrial)/M1 (light industrial)/R3 (multi-family residential) to D5 (downtown industrial) to allow for the construction of an indoor trampoline facility by Kasey Schuster.
• Heard City Treasurer Linda Moore explain that the fees charged to people using a credit card at City Hall go directly to the credit card processor. She said the city covered more than $145,000 in credit card fees last year. People can use a bank draft, cash or check or online bill pay to pay their bills with the city at no additional charge.
• Heard Quincy Mayor Mike Troup explain that the monthly emergency sirens test, usually done on the first Tuesday, will not happen on the morning of Tuesday, April 4 because of the threat of bad weather throughout the state. “If you don’t hear (the siren), it’s not because they weren’t working,” Troup said. “It’s because of some forecasted weather.”