APAC Mississippi was awarded a $3.43 million bid Tuesday by the Vicksburg Mayor and Board of Aldermen to begin work on phase two of a three-phase, $7.3 million resurfacing project that began in February.

APAC was the only company to submit a bid for the work, and it came in at a higher amount than the mayor and aldermen had anticipated.

“Can we negotiate?” asked Mayor Laurence Leyens. “It’s a lot higher than I had anticipated, and they’re saying the next bid for phase three will be even higher. It may mean that we’ll have to eliminate some streets from the next phase.”

Director of Public Works James “Bubba” Rainer said the price of phase two is nearly double that of phase one due to more asphalt being needed, as well as higher current asphalt prices than when the first phase bid was awarded last fall. Phase one paving required 17,000 tons of asphalt, while phase two will require 26,000 tons. Surface asphalt — one of the many materials needed for repaving streets — is $112 per ton in the phase two bid, up from $77 per ton paid for phase one work.   

“Asphalt prices have had the same thing happen to them as gas prices,” said Rainer. “APAC is as anxious as we are to get going on the phase two work because it’s costing them more to do the work every day.”

The contract allows APAC 100 working days to complete the second phase, and Rainer said he expects them to begin work as soon as possible.

Phase one of the project — which APAC also received the contract for — is essentially complete, said Rainer, with only minor crosswalk work remaining on some streets. The $1.8 million spent on phase one of the project saw most downtown streets repaved, including portions of Monroe, Mulberry, South, Levee and Clay streets.

The second phase will include repaving roads primarily in the southern portion of the city, including Drummond Street, Porters Chapel and Bazinsky roads, as well as Holly Ridge, Belva and Lake Hill drives. The third phase will include streets in the north portion of the city.

The money is a share of $16.9 million in general obligation bonds the city borrowed from Memphis-based Duncan Williams Inc., in August 2007, which is being paid back at a 4.13 percent annual interest over 10 years. Of the bond funds, $600,000 is earmarked for Oak Street improvements, while $4.1 million was set aside to pay for the first phase of a recreation complex off Fisher Ferry Road.

Replacing the Washington Street bridge over KCS tracks with an overpass at Clark Street will cost $5 million, with most of the cost being reimbursed over a five-year period. Leyens said that work should begin soon. “Everything is in place. I don’t see why they can’t get going on it in the next 90 days.”

City agenda

 Meeting Tuesday, the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen:

 • Approved renewing the Downtown Tax District tax rate at 5.05 mills.

• Tabled approving the Vicksburg-Tallulah Airport budget until board members had a chance to review the document.

• Adopted a budget amendment transferring $1,500 in a Homeland Security grant from the contractor-provided services fund to the moveable-equipment fund.

• Approved an extension to WMHS Downtown, LLC, through Dec. to begin construction on urban renewal property conveyed to the company.

• Authorized mayor to execute a grant agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration for the Washington Street bridge project.

• Authorized mayor to execute supplemental agreement No. 1 with ABMB Engineers Inc., for the Washington Street overlay project.

• Approved a final payment of $9,130 to Hemphill Construction Co. Inc., for modifications to the chlorine feed system and accepted a close out of the associated documents.

• Adopted an ordinance to amend ordinance 71-8, the zoning ordinance of the city of Vicksburg, to rezone land located at 5725 North Washington St. from heavy industrial to agricultural and industrial.

 • Accepted a letter establishing special assessment of, and adopted a resolution for cutting and clearing of, the following properties: Halls Ferry Station PPIN 28971 and Halls Ferry Station PPIN 13514, both owned by Regions Bank.

• Approved a request from the Vicksburg Main Street Program to use a portion of the city sidewalks for various musical entertainers to perform during the Hit the Bricks Open House on Sept. 11.

• Approved $10,514.55 in spending by the Vicksburg Main Street Program for advertising during September.

In executive session, the board:

• Accepted the resignation of one employee from the wastewater treatment facility.

The next meeting will be Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. in the City Hall Annex.

County agenda

Meeting Tuesday, the Warren County Board of Supervisors:

• Approved a lease with Bradley’s Chapel United Methodist Church to become the new polling place for the Oak Ridge voting precinct, subject to routine confirmation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Oak Ridge Grocery is the voting location for 198 people in the northeast Warren County community.

• Ratified a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration for the parallel taxiway at Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport.

The $1.8 million grant will be entirely from federal funds and be administered by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

• Approved final plats on Lealand Point, Choctaw Boundary and  Anneville subdivisions.

• Accepted as information a court order from Circuit Court Judge Frank Vollor raising the salary of court administrator Lee Ann Stewart.

• Approved the hiring of Mary Lynn Thomas as office assistant and assistant receiving clerk for the Warren County Extension Service office.

• Authorized a $397.50 check to the Transportation Security Administration for worker identification credentials for Road Department employees Larry Flowers, Charles Lewis and Eugene Carson.

• Approved leases between the Vicksburg Warren School District and Midcontinent Express Pipeline LLC. The pacts involve district-owned 16th Section land the pipeline will cross in Warren County.

• Approved a request from Chancery Clerk Dot McGee to increase fees paid for civil commitment processes. They include Warren Yazoo Mental Health, from $20 to $50; examining doctors, from $75 to $100; testifying doctors from $150 to $175; attorneys from $125 to $150; and special master from $175 to $200.

• Approved an agreement between the county, the City of Vicksburg, Nextel and Southern LINC Wireless for the rebanding of 800 mHz communication system.

• Approved bills of $65,542.44 from John McKee, county engineer, and $4,075 from Paul Winfield, board attorney.

• Approved the election qualifying petition for District 3 Election Commissioner Retha L. Summers.