The third time is the charm.
R.H. Tyson Construction of Blackshear was approved as the low bidder for the Tiger Field project at last Tuesday night’s county commission meeting.
Tyson bid $1,377,819.30, but there will be an $18,700 deduction to the amount as the county will haul off excess fill from the site. The total final bid amount will be $1,359,119.30.
Tyson was the low bidder on the work. Other bidders included Lavender of Statesboro at $1,444,444.1, Pope of Blackshear at $1,499,777.39, SEC of Blackshear at $1,666,279.60 and Popco of Sylvester at $1,969,230.40.
Two other previous bid openings failed to produce a winning bid. The most recent delay in May was due to “unbalanced bids”. Engineers determined the prices submitted were unable to be awarded.
In the first bidding process in March no companies gave a price on the project.
Sources told The Times in March prospective contractors were concerned about the deadline for the work. The county had previously set a September 1 deadline for completion to be ready in time for the recreation department’s fall sports.
Under the latest re-bid, the project will be divided into two phases, a southern part and a northern part.
The southern portion will include the walking track and parking lot with work slated to begin in September.
The northern portion includes the ball field, drainage, fencing and parking lot construction with work slated to begin December 1, after football season ends.
The project will include upgrades to the football and soccer fields, resurfacing the walking track, improving and adding parking and sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The monies for the improvements will come from a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant and from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and from the county’s general fund.
Plans for improvements at Tiger Field have been in the works for the last three years.
Tiger Field has been in use in the county since 1958, when it was built as part of the facilities for Blackshear High School. Blackshear High School merged with Patterson High School to form Pierce County High School in 1982.
The county has used the field for recreation facilities since that time.
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