Utica awards $1.8M contract for plaza

Utica received one do-over bid for the Market on Mill retail plaza, but the village took it. Illinois Valley Excavating Inc. gets the job for about $1.8 million.

At a special meeting Tuesday, the Utica Village Board awarded the contract for $1,842,692. There wasn’t much choice. Two companies submitted bids for the project last month, and one, D Construction Inc., declined to resubmit its bid after village officials balked at the price tag.

Nevertheless, village officials were pleased with the final outcome. Village Engineer Kevin Heitz tweaked his engineer’s estimate to $1,850,139, and IV Excavating came in a few thousand dollars below that.

Mayor David Stewart encouraged the board to act – “We’re a few weeks behind schedule” – but expressed approval at coming in below the engineer’s estimate. A groundbreaking has not yet been scheduled.

The first bids submitted were more than $2 million, forcing Heitz to shave $270,000 out of the original job – village workers will do some of the work – and make some other modifications to the project here and there.

Those adjustments were needed because the village obtained a $1.25 million grant and committed another $250,000 to the project. Stewart said the remaining $343,000 would be obtained later and as the project progresses, likely from the tax increment financing and water-sewer funds. There will be no tax increase.

The Market on Mill was inspired by outdoor plazas in Batavia and Muskegon, Michigan. Utica will begin with 12 portable retail stalls, with space for another six, and the shops will face inward toward a green space.