Staff Writer
HOULTON — Time and time again, Houlton town councilors have reinforced the notion of supporting the local economy through supporting local business. During Monday night’s regular session, they went one step farther and awarded one local company with two major projects. In two agenda items, councilors voted to award Jackett Enterprises the bid for the town’s pavement markings hand work, as well as the pavement marking machine longitudinal work.
Discussions and concerns arose between councilors over the decision, mainly because Jackett Enterprises wasn’t the lowest bidder. Some councilors felt the lowest bid was the best option, while others thought that by supporting locally could discourage other companies from taking part in the bid process.
The lowest bid received for machine work was from Markings Inc of Pembroke, Mass. for $4,206. Councilors agreed that although the price was right, would they regret it later.
“We have this problem every year,” said Councilor Paul Cleary. “It’s like the old saying, ‘you get what you pay for.’”
One issue raised was the constant complaints being made concerning the quality of work, which had been done in the past few years. By accepting the lowest bid in the past, which was not from a local company, some felt the quality of the work was not satisfactory. Councilors agreed that if problems did come up, Markings Inc would not be easily accessible to the town for retouching purposes.
“I like to support local business because if they have any problems, they’re easy to get a hold of,” commented Councilor Jerry Adams. “I really think that we should encourage to hire locally.”
Jackett Enterprises’ bid for machine markings was $7,941 and for the hand work $8,182. Neither of Jackett’s bids were the lowest bids. The lowest bid for the handwork was Jordan Striping Services of Westfield for $7,080 and for the machine work was Markings Inc. for $4,206.
The work on the town’s streets is expected to be completed by June 21.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m.
