The Columbia Board of Aldermen accepted the low bid of $339,650 Tuesday to repave Sumrall Road and Walter Payton Drive.
Bids were received from Dunn Roadbuilders, TL Wallace, Warren & Warren and Warren Asphalt, and Mayor Justin McKenize said all bids came in under budget.
“Good news for us because we will be able to stretch the dollar and go a little bit further,” he said.
City engineer Sean Burns said Dunn Roadbuilders had the lowest bid at $339,650 for the base bid, which included Sumrall Road and Walter Payton Drive. An optional addition of paving on R.A. Johnson Drive from Sumrall Road back 360 feet was also bid on, for which Dunn Roadbuilders had the lowest bid as well at $31,528.
Burns recommended both bids be approved. However, the board only approved the base bid from Dunn Roadbuilders at this time in the amount of $339,650. The city is financing this project with payments received from the internet sales tax.
Work is expected to begin tentatively the first part of June, according to McKenzie.
Also at Tuesday's meeting, Sean Turner, the new property owner of a piece of property on 804 Church Street, addressed the board about the condition of the property at the request of Alderman-at-large Edward Hough.
The property was in the process through the city for demolition and/or clean-up when Turner bought it. The matter had been placed on hold until the sale was finalized.
McKenzie said Turner has already done a substantial amount of work outside on the property.
“The home is in pretty bad shape,” Turner said.
The plan, he said, for the place is to give it a curb appeal. The first step is working on the roof, Turner said.
“We are making it look nice because that is a very nice street,” Turner told the board.
Hough thanked the Turners for coming to the meeting and said he had some concerns.
“That house has been an eyesore for years,” Hough said.
Hough said he had heard that even though the property is zoned for single residential, the property had been chopped up to be four apartments.
“I have a real concern about that,” Hough said. “I commend you for buying a property to make it look better. We look at that house every day.”
Turner said he would like to make the building three apartments.
Hough said he was concerned about parking if the place was made into apartments. Turner said it is actually a half acre of land, and if it is designed correctly there will be plenty of parking.
Turner asked because it was already apartments, could it not stay apartments? Hough told him when someone purchased a property, even if it previously had apartments, if it is zoned for a single residential dwelling, it reverts back to a single resident dwelling.
“If I had known all of this, I would not have purchased this property,” Turner said.
Turner said there is one water meter and three electric meters on the property.
Alderwoman Anna Evans said she can understand the confusion because the property next door is a duplex so Turner seeing there was a duplex next door could see why the building he bought could be apartments. Real estate broker Richard Lokey said the duplex was grandfathered in because it was built before the zoning was issued.
McKenzie said he recommended Turner stay in constant contact with Carrie Thornhill, the city’s building inspector. McKenzie also said for Turner to provide a set of plans, including the layout of the yard and homes, to the city's board of adjustments to make a recommendation about allowing it to become apartments.
Aldermen also approved local emergency declarations for the Pearl River flooding and COVID-19 to continue. McKenzie said the city did not reach the threshold needed for any assistance other than from the Small Business Administration for the April 19 flash flood downtown.
