BY AMY WITSCHEY

Editor

New Martinsville Council will hold a special council meeting Thursday at 5:45 p.m. to decide what to do about the bids for police department work.

Bids for a turn-key radio console, P25 compatible with Fleet Sync operation, including design and furniture outlet for renovations of the police department offices were opened at the Jan. 4 meeting.

Two envelopes were received-one from Lauttamus Communi-cations and one from Progressive Communi-cations. Lauttamus offered a bid of $57,485. However, Progressive did not give a bid, only offered a letter from Stephen A. Mularcik requesting it be rebid, saying, “The bid for the radio console and renovations of the police department seems to me to be a project with the type of magnitude which should have been given more time for the bid process. There should have been a pre-bid conference for all prospective bidders to attend, visit the site, and ask questions about the project in order to be fair to any and all bidders.”

The legal advertisement seeking bids was printed in the Wetzel Chronicle on Dec. 23 and 30. That, said Mularcik, left only four days for anyone to pick up a bid package and visit the site to look over the project.

“I feel that. . . only one bidder can accomplish the task of having a bid ready by deadline and that is the same bidder who was also the bid specifications writer,” asserted Mularcik.

Police Chief Tim Cecil said the specifications were written by Dispatcher Rick Estep, not Lauttamus Communications.

The matter was sent to the police committee who will meet Thursday at 5 p.m., and then bring a recommendation back to council at the special meeting at 5:45 that night.

In other matters at the regular January meeting, Street Commissioner Gary Willey reported his department was called out four times in December, the same amount as last year, to treat the streets. Obviously January’s weather has kept them busier.

There is still some question as to if Wetzel County will be eligible for funding for the statewide state of emergency declared Dec. 18 and 19 because of snow. However, the city does have their weather-related hours for those days accounted for and ready to apply for funding if it is available.

Council generally agreed that the street department has been doing a commendable job clearing the streets of snow. Councilman Joel Potts III heard people say the city’s response was extremely fast; they were shocked and pleased.

“This other truck means a lot, timewise,” noted Willey. The city has five snow removal trucks in operation: two trucks in Steelton, two in the downtown area, and one in Brooklyn.

Mayor Lucille Blum noted Bud Yoho, who lives in Brooklyn, called about the condition of Kappel Street.

“It was very bad, but I’ve talked to Gary Willey about that. He’s contacted the state and they’re going to work together on that,” said Blum. The planned work, such as grading, will not be a permanent fix, but at least it is an answer to concerns, said Blum.

The mayor said she is in that area a lot because she thinks it is important that they pay attention to an area where people are trying to make improvements.

Anderson Lane, a gravel road between Foundry and Kappel streets, has been an area of concern for some time. Residents on the route say it has become a thoroughfare for all-terrain vehicles and drug activity. They have asked the city for some property enforcement and the gating of the Kappel Street entrance to Anderson Lane.

With the recent condition of Kappel Street, Blum said Anderson Lane has been used even more frequently.

She further said the industrial park renters, Superior Oilfield Services, are increasingly using more space, so that may lead to new road access, which would help Anderson Lane.

“I hope that we can still call a meeting with these people (Anderson Lane residents) and talk to them,” said Blum, noting one family started asking for help for that issue in June. She said hopefully over the next year they will try to find some resolutions to the problems.

Finally, Manager Chuck Stora reported the hydroelectric plant ended up about 30,000 mega watts over budget for the year.