City should consider all Main Street options

Government officials should always embrace ways to save money for taxpayers, whether it?s pocket change or thousands of dollars. That?s why it?s puzzling when McMinnville Alderman Patti Nunley says she refuses to consider any company other than EG&G to oversee phase II of the Main Street project.

Nunley says she is well pleased with phase I of the Main Street project and is quick to commend EG&G for doing a fine job. It?s for that reason she says she doesn?t want to entertain ideas of embarking on phase II without EG&G on board.

It?s comforting to hear a city official has such a high level of satisfaction with phase I. Main Street and Court Square do look great and McMinnville can be proud of that fact. Now when visitors tour our fine city, we can show off our Main Street instead of trying to hide it.

That said, it?s important to note EG&G was paid handsomely for its work on phase I of the $5.1 million project. The company was paid $734,000 to be exact.

Now that phase II has strolled along, EG&G has submitted a $4.2 million estimate. When that figure was released, several city officials were stunned it was so high.

It stands to reason that instead of accepting that $4.2 million pricetag as the gospel, city leaders should work to find ways to reduce costs. As caretakers of our tax dollars, that?s what they are supposed to do.

Alderman Bobby Kirby has done exactly that. He?s examined a number of cost-saving measures and believes the city can save between $300,000 and $400,000 by not using EG&G for phase II.

While those savings aren?t etched in stone, it does make it worthwhile for the city to at least consider its options. To put it in perspective, a savings of $300,000 is equivalent to 18 cents of city property tax.

While Kirby admits he is by no means an expert on Main Street projects, as a property developer he is very familiar with construction and issues that surround building projects. He says EG&G?s engineering fee, which accounted for 17 percent of the total phase I costs, is astronomical. He says the engineering figure should be closer to 7 percent.

Kirby also points out that EG&G adds engineering costs on top of work done by McMinnville Electric System, which does its own engineering, and on top of work done by water and sewer consultant James C. Haley, who is himself a Nashville-based engineer. This sort of double billing is paid for by city taxpayers.

EG&G also wants to maintain a full-time site supervisor in McMinnville during construction. For phase I, that full-time supervisor cost $111,000. Kirby believes Public Works director Bill Brock can adequately serve as an on-site supervisor thus saving that $111,000.

It?s also important to note there are already preliminary drawings for phase II of Main Street. Based on a successful phase I, city officials know what phase II should look like. They are basically taking that design and copying it on another street.

By all accounts, EG&G did a fine job with phase I of Main Street. At the same time, phase I construction also gave city officials a chance to gain valuable experience.

If it?s possible to learn from that experience and explore cost-saving measures before undertaking phase II, city officials have an obligation to evaluate those options. And if the city ultimately decides EG&G is the best option, that?s perfectly acceptable.

But to slam the door on any option that doesn?t include EG&G is short-sighted. City officials are expected to look out for the best interests of McMinnville residents ? not the best interests of EG&G.