Board delays Booker T. vote

Johnny Beckwith was scratching his head on Dec. 21 following the Philadelphia Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting after the naming of a contractor for the Booker T Washington gym renovation project was tabled for another meeting.

Beckwith is a preacher who attends meetings to represent a community that has sought for years to have the Booker T. Washington gym renovated so it can be used as a community center. To him, it was more of the same when questions came up, and a decision on the contractor was tabled.

“I see a major problem with the lack of communication among you all,” Beckwith told aldermen and the mayor. “I am about ready to get the picket signs out and (start) walking these streets. I have faith in this board. They aren’t going to short change us, but I have had so many other boards to say the same thing, y’all.”

Aldermen appeared ready to accept a bid from Perry Construction Co. However, aldermen tabled the matter after questions came up concerning how the city would pay for the work to the historic Booker T building and the city’s contract with Waggoner Engineer, the project manager.

City attorney Robert Thomas questioned the funding source for the project. Mayor James A. Young and others had originally planned to pay for the project with bond issue monies. However, they later learned that only part of the $1.2 million bond issue could be used for building construction and that money has been used to repair the roof at the U.S. Motors plant.

Since then, Young has said the money that the city expects to get from the federal American Rescue Plan Act would be used for the project.

Thomas pointed out that while it appears Booker T will qualify for ARPA funds, it is not a done deal. He also said he had not seen a construction contract from Waggoner and questioned whether a signed contract exists.

Mayor Young, three aldermen and representatives from Waggoner all said a signed construction contract exists, though no one had a copy at the meeting.

In a previous meeting, aldermen had complained they had never seen plans or any documentation about the project. Later, an email with 10 attachments was prepared by Waggoner and forwarded to aldermen on Dec. 10. The contract was included in that email. Thomas said he did not receive the email and has not seen the contract as of last Tuesday.

The Neshoba Democrat has obtained a copy of the contract, which was signed by the mayor on Sept. 27, 2021.

The city has agreed to pay Waggoner a total of $97,048. A breakdown of the contract is as follows:

• Design Phase — $55,453

• Bidding and contracting — $13,865

• Construction oversight — $27,730

Total: $97,048

Bids, which came on Dec. 10, are good for 45 days. The scope of work calls for replacing the roof and insulation, removing the wooden gym floor and replacing it with a new one that includes original wood. Bidders were also asked for quotes on replacing doors and windows and for cleaning and restoring the outside brick.

There were two bids turned in. Perry Construction Co.’s base bid of $597,300 was the lowest. Also, in the bid, Perry listed $58,400 for Alternate No. 1 for the doors and windows and $48,000 for Alternate No. 2 for brick restoration. If the base bid, along with the two amendments, is accepted, the total price will be $703,700.

Benchmark Construction Co. also put in a bid. Benchmark’s base bid was $665,300. Also, in the bid, Benchmark listed $45,000 for Alternate No. 1 for the doors and windows and $30,000 for Alternate No. 2 for brick restoration. The total for all three choices would be $740,300.

After some discussion, the board decided to table the vote until the next meeting.

Beckwith chided all parties. He told the mayor that attorney Thomas should have been provided with a copy of the contract. And he said Thomas should have asked the mayor in advance about the contract so it could have been provided at the meeting.

Beckwith also asked what would happen if the ARPA money could not be used for Booker T.

“I would like to ask, do we (the city) have a rainy day fund or savings account where if all else fails, you can take the money from there, pay for the Booker T project, and then put it back later?” Beckwith said. “Do this now, and if this money comes through, you can put it back. You do this with other projects all of the time. Why can’t one time you do it to the fund for us (Booker T. supporters)? It can be done for Booker T.”

He asked the four aldermen present if they would do that. Aldermen at Large James Waltman, Ward 4 Alderman Shaun Seales and Ward 3 Alderman James Tatum all indicated they would. Ward 2 alderman Jim Fulton declined to commit but said he would look at all options. Alderman Ward 1 Justin Clearman was sick and unable to attend but has indicated his support for the project in earlier meetings.

Later, a decision concerning ARPA money and the Booker T project was made when aldermen approved a $63,000 contract with Waggoner.

Waggoner pointed out that the city is expected to receive $1.5 million for projects inside the city limit. Over the next three years, the company promised to do a community assessment to identify potential projects, hold meetings and prepare plans while looking for other funds and grants to be used for projects.

What piqued the board and mayor’s attention was Waggoner’s experience of working through federal red tape and making sure the city complies with the guidelines for ARPA funding. The board read that as a quick way to see whether the Booker T project would qualify for ARPA funds. They approved the contract with specific instructions for Waggoner to explore that possibility and to report back at the next meeting.