SEBASTIAN — The Sebastian City Council approved a staff request for bid waiver and to piggyback a Collier County contract, enabling the City to award to Shenandoah Construction Co. of Ft. Myers the Martin Avenue slip lining storm water pipe repair project in the amount of $64,895.
Piggybacking is a method that allows one party to take advantage of a contract between two other parties.
Council member Richard Gillmor had pulled the item from the Consent Agenda, seeking assurance that the slip lining process used to repair the old, corrugated pipe wasn’t just a costly quick fix, but would last.
Staff told the Council that the Fiberglass lining, once pulled into place inside the existing, corrugated pipe, would be cured with hot water and hardened into an extremely durable material, which will meet FDOT specifications.
“If it comports to our purchasing requirements,” City Manager Joe Griffin said of piggybacking, “the time, expense and other exigent circumstances may, emphasize ‘may,’ dictate a piggyback would work for certain needs.”
According to the staff recommendation, the Martin Avenue pipe project is part of the Presidential Street project. The road crossing pipe at Martin Avenue requires slip lining due to the failure of the 30-year-old steel pipe currently in place.
Slip lining is a process by which Fiberglass inflatable pipe is installed into the existing pipe to allow for continual flow of storm water. The cost is within the amount budgeted in the current fiscal year.
“Due to the fragile condition of the existing pipe(s), the possibility of the pipe collapse exists during the construction phase,” a note in Shenandoah’s proposal states. “If this unlikely event occurs, we will provide you with an additional estimate for a necessary point repair to complete the lining process.”
In the excused absence of Council member Jerome Adams, Council voted 4-0 to approve the request.
