Street humps, repairs on tap in city

Although the only bid opened last week was considerably higher than Marion officials anticipated for pavement, city leaders are moving ahead with trying to hire a contractor to repair a number of city streets. Rogers Group submitted the only bid. City Administrator Diane Ford-Benningfield said plans are to negotiate for a more favorable price, even if that means looking at options that could include rebidding the project.

Marion City Council this month reviewed its project priority list from last year. On the list are 440 feet of Hart Street from Country Club Drive to the dead end, 500 feet of Rudd Street from Country Club Drive to the new Head Start building, 1,400 feet of Chapel Hill Road from Country Club Drive to Tyler Manufacturing, 760 feet of West Carlisle Street from South Weldon Street to South Yandell Street and 720 feet of North Weldon Street from West Poplar Street to Travis Street. 

Newly added to the priority list for this year are the following: Second Street 450 feet from Main to College streets; Old Shady Grove Road 460 feet from Bellville Street to Carr Street and the intersection with Club Drive; South Weldon Street 120 feet starting from West Carlisle; Chapel Hill Road 180 feet from Hickory Hills to Moore, 119 feet near Arleen Street, 343 feet in front of Chapel Hill Head Start and various potholes along Chapel Hill; intersection of First Street and North College Street; East Mound Park intersection with North College Street; six total prefabricated speed bumps, two each on Club, Country and Guess drives in Town and Country subdivision near Marion-Crittenden County Park. The humps were not part of the bid package and will be done independently this fall.