Work on the Empire Village Beach Park project could begin within two weeks after the Village Council approved a bid for the general contract Tuesday night.

The council unanimously approved a $331,422.72 bid from Kal Excavating of Omena for the Empire beach renovation project. The council also approved an "alternate A1" bid of $8,513.70 from Kal to construct a wall on the west side of a new basketball court that will be built as part of the project.

In 2005, the village secured a local match grant from the state Natural Resources Trust Fund to renovate the beach area. The $350,000 grant will cover most of the cost for the project, which includes new restrooms, improved paved parking area and an overall rejuvenation of the beach. A private fundraising effort will also bring in new playground equipment for the beach as well.

Klaus Heinert, the project planner/engineer with Gosling-Czubak, said three bids were received for the project: Kal’s; SRW Contracting for $331,846.10; and Elmer’s for $345,667.10. After reviewing each bid and making sure specifications were met,

Heinert said he recommended Kal in part because it was the lowest bid.

“All three bids were very close and all are very good,” he said, adding he planned to notify the state Department of Natural Resources yesterday about the bid acceptance and that he was hopeful that he could secure verbal approval to start work on the project. As soon as approval is received, a preconstruction meeting will be held and a work schedule developed.

Heinert said that until the preconstruction meeting is held, he could not provide a start date. The bid specification clearly states the project must be completed before the end of June. Karen Baja, chair of the council’s beach committee, said there are monetary penalties the contractor must pay for each day the project goes past the June 30 deadline.

“We know not having the beach open in July would be disastrous for our businesses,” she said.

Heinert said in order to meet the June 30 deadline of having the project substantially completed, the contract allows the contractor to control traffic flow into and out of the beach area on any given day.

In other business during its three-hour, 20-minute meeting, the council:
• Approved 4-3, with trustees Susan Michner, Linda Payment and Nat Gray opposed, a resolution that outlines a plan for having the village take over the existing and future public rights-of-ways in the New Neighborhood development. Under terms of the resolution, representatives with Quercus Alba, the New Neighborhood developer, will meet with village streets administrator Baja and the village engineer to develop a “punch list” of improvements the developer must make in order for the streets, sidewalks and alleyways of the first two phases of neighborhood to be accepted by the village.

Baja said as it is stated in the resolution, the streets would only become part of the village system if she, the village engineer and the council president sign off on the improvements. The same would hold true for any future phases built in New Neighborhood.

Leonard Shalda, village Department of Public Works director, said he has presented his concerns about having the village take over the New Neighborhood streets and rights-of-way since they were built to a different standard then other village streets. A chief concern of his was snow removal in that the current village plow trucks can not easily navigate the development’s streets.

Council president Sue Carpenter said under terms of the resolution, the village may use an outside contractor for snow removal. She and Baja both said New Neighborhood homeowners are village residents, pay the same taxes as other residents and deserve the same services others receive.