Work on the $1.27 million rehabilitation of DeHart Park field may kick off as soon as August now that the Maplewood Township Committee has awarded the work contract to Turco Golf, ending ongoing disputes about qualifications.
Tuesday’s unanimous vote to award the contract came following a review of Suffern, NY-based Turco Golf’s work experience sparked off by a rival bidder, Andy-Matt, which was the lowest bidder on the project.
Last month, Clough Harbour Associates, the Township’s consulting engineers, recommended that Andy-Matt’s bid be rejected for not satisfying requirements which included showing documentation of 10 similar projects over the past decade. Andy-Matt was only able to show nine, but argued that they should still be considered since the next-highest bidder, Turco Golf, also failed to meet the requirements.
Turco Golf ended any questions about their qualifications shortly after, when they submitted details of an additional seven field rehabilitation projects, for a total of 17. Tuesday’s resolution called upon Township Committee members to recognize and approve the additional documentation and award the $1.27 million contract.
Township Administrator Joseph Manning said the first shovels could hit the dirt next month, pending a procedural review and a pre-construction meeting.
