The Village Board rejected bids totaling $150,000 for landscaping and fencing for the proposed Pepperwood Park, while a bid on a $127,000 asphalt paving contract for the project did win approval.
Trustees who voted against the bids Wednesday said they were opposed to the expenditures because they included extras that were not in the original plans. Those extras added $100,000 to the original estimate of $380,000 for the park development, said Trustee Christine Andrews. “I think we should only spend what we have,” she said, and suggested trimming the project’s scope.
Trustee Steve Chiarito voted against two of the three bids, but he said he meant to reject all of the contracts. He said he abstained on the first bid not realizing that it would be counted on the side of the majority.
On the paving contract vote, Trustees John Corich and Donald Bigos voted yes and Trustees Christine Andrews and Michael Puckett voted no. With Mayor Kyle Hastings voting yes, Chiarito’s abstention was then counted as a yes with the majority. The approval meant that S.G. Hayes was awarded the $127,333 paving contract to do streets, tennis courts and walking paths at the park.
Trustees voted 3-2 against contracts of $54,361 to Peerless Fence Company and $97,518 to Stan’s Landscaping.
