FAIRHOPE – A project to stabilize the gully behind homes on North Summit Street at a cost of more than $760,000 will begin soon in Fairhope.
The Fairhope City Council voted Wednesday, Dec. 22, to approve the bank stabilization project at a cost of $760,606. Most of the cost of the project will be paid through a federal grant. The city will receive $508,326.66 from the National Resources Conservation Program Emergency Watershed Protection program.
Steve Longfield, who lives on North Summit Street, told council members that the eroding gully could put homes in danger. He said the edge of the gully is now within a few feet of one parcel of property and erosion will affect other lots if the bank is not stabilized.
“The erosion on the western side of the gully between Church and Summit streets, which is north of Oak, has been getting gradually worse for several years,” Longfield said. “The residences, which are (Single Tax) Colony property and homes are put at risk by this erosion have raised this as an issue with both the city of Fairhope and the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation multiple times in the last seven years. There have been several large cave-ins of earth and trees into the gully usually tied to a major rainstorm.”
The bid submitted for the project by the John G. Walton Construction Company was $871,342.02 when bids were opened on Nov. 17. Walton was the only company to bid on the project.
Richard Johnson, city public works director, said Fairhope officials worked with the company to find a way to cut the costs. He said a local source for sand was found that cut the price by $80,000. Other costs were cut by about $30,000.
“So that’s $110,000 down from the opening bid number, which I think is a good move in the right direction,” Johnson said.
Council President Jimmy Conyers praised the work done to cut the costs.
“That’s a good job. I appreciate you and the contractor working on that and being diligent to bring those numbers down and I don’t know who first pointed out the sand, whether it was the contractor or you, but that was a good catch and I appreciate y’all working on that,” Conyers told Johnson.
Johnson said Mayor Sherry Sullivan will also meet with the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation to ask that the corporation, which owns much of the property bordering the gully, help pay some of the matching costs of the project.
