WB officially selects low bidder for Solomon Creek wall project

WILKES-BARRE — The city Wednesday issued a notice of award to A.R. Popple Inc. for the first phase of the Solomon Creek wall reconstruction project.

Five firms submitted bids and Popple, of Wilkes-Barre, was the lowest at $1,548,488.

Joyce Morrash Zaykowski, the city’s capital projects program manager and director of the Office of Economic and Community Development, said the next step is a pre-construction meeting that will take place next week on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Popple must provide paperwork to Borton-Lawson, the project engineer, within seven days that includes a performance and payment bonds. Upon approval, the city will issue a notice to proceed with start and end dates for the project, Zaykowski said.

The wall that channels the creek through South Wilkes-Barre was built during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration and has deteriorated and been damaged during high-water events. A 40-foot section collapsed into the creek bed in December 2016 and was temporarily patched.

Mayor Tony George and his administration have worked with state and federal lawmakers and officials to locate funding for a comprehensive fix. To date, they have secured more than $10 million that includes $4 million from the city through a bond refinancing deal. The city funds will pay for a pumping station to be located between Waller and Vulcan streets.

The first phase of the project to be done by Popple involves the use of stacked prefabricated concrete sections to reconstruct the wall along the Brook Street side between Waller and South Franklin streets. It also includes a new roadway, curbs and sidewalks.

In this 2016 photo, City Administrator Ted Wampole looks over the side of the Solomon Creek wall to see a hole. Wilkes-Barre has secured more than $10 million for permanent fixes to the wall and has awarded a bid for the project’s first phase.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_TTL110416SolomonCreek2.jpgIn this 2016 photo, City Administrator Ted Wampole looks over the side of the Solomon Creek wall to see a hole. Wilkes-Barre has secured more than $10 million for permanent fixes to the wall and has awarded a bid for the project’s first phase.