City Council Approves Material Bids During Special Meeting

The Milbank City Council met for a special meeting on Monday, August 1. Briggs, Rogers, and Hanson were present.  Karels and Weinberg attended remotely by phone. 

The meeting was scheduled to approve bids for materials for the construction of the American Legion Baseball field. The budget for drainage pipe and pea rock was $83,000.

Mayor Pat Raffety said John Forman, city administrator, had sent the bids the city had received for the drainage supplies to the 4Most team for review.  SiteOne, a company based in Fargo, North Dakota, had submitted a bid for $49,414.12, and Winwater, a company in Milbank, had presented a bid for $32,305.78. Raffety said, “Everything came back with a thumbs-up.”

Weinberg made a motion to accept the low bid submitted by Winwater. Hanson seconded it. The council voted to approve that bid.  

According to Raffety, the City of Milbank had advertised for bids for pea gravel, but none were received. The budget estimate was $44,200. Raffety stated, “Because we did not receive any bids, we can just go out and get a quote and move forward with the work.” He said they had an estimate from GCC Ready Mix of $17 per ton, which would amount to $44,200. No action was required from the council. 

The council also approved paying the first $35,000 installment of the $65,000 contract extension for 4Most Sport Group. Rogers made a motion to approve. Weinberg seconded it. The motion carried unanimously.

Story from the July 18 Meeting:

Milbank City Council Approves Bid for Construction

R & A Fields, Inc., of Springfield, Ohio, submitted the only bid to install Milbank’s new American Legion Baseball field. The Milbank City Council approved that bid for $200,000 at a special meeting held on Monday, July 18. The City of Milbank has pledged $1.2 million to the project.

Mayor Pat Raffety noted the bid specifications did not include two items — the installation of the foul poles and the installation of the sports turf in the bullpens.  Raffety referenced a conference call with 4Most and said they estimated the addition would amount to roughly a day’s labor or a couple of thousand dollars. He also mentioned the bid of $200,000 was $69,000 less than the city had budgeted.

Raffety offered the council the option to reject the bid and wait for a revised submission or to accept the bid with the knowledge an approval for a change order would be forthcoming.  

Councilmember Craig Weinberg questioned whether the $200,000 bid was included in or in addition to the amount outlined by 4Most Sport Group, the company hired to design the field and oversee its construction. Raffety said he believed it was a line item already in 4Most’s budget, and Milbank City Administrator John Forman concurred. 

Weinberg also questioned whether a provision (7B) of the renewal contract with 4Most to oversee the second phase of the field’s construction would leave the city responsible for any overages incurred. Raffety spoke at length about the value 4Most has brought to the project and what says he sees as “a benefit in continuing the relationship.”  The council voted to approve renewing the contract at a cost of $65,000 after agreeing to remove the 7B clause. 

Raffety said, “I would appreciate more eyes looking at the project.” He said all the information about it is public record, and he encouraged the council to request any facts or figures related to the project — everything from how The Heart of Milbank fundraising is progressing or how much the sand is going to cost.

The council scheduled another special meeting on August 1 to approve bids for various materials required in the construction of the field.
The next regular meeting of the Milbank City Council is scheduled for August 8, at 7 p.m. at the Milbank Visitor Center.