Contractor officially hired to build $3.7M Perrysburg Twp. administration building

The contractor originally selected to build a new Perrysburg Township administration building was again picked to lead the project.

At the Oct. 2 meeting, the trustees approved Rudolph Libbe Inc. of Walbridge, Ohio, as the contractor for the $3.7 million building.

In July, the trustees voted to rebid the building project after an attorney for one of the companies that was not awarded the contract complained. The bid had been awarded June 5 to Rudolph Libbe.

After consulting with attorneys, Mr. Eckel recommended redrafting the proposal.

In a June 11 letter, an attorney with Bricker Graydon LLP, of Columbus, said the township’s procurement process was defective, and the contract should be awarded to Miller Diversified Construction Co. The request for proposals, the attorney said, did not comply with the Ohio Revised Code or the Ohio Administrative Code; Rudolph Libbe’s proposal was nonresponsive, meaning it didn’t meet the request for proposal requirements; and the process gave Rudolph Libbe an unfair competitive advantage.

Comte Construction Co. of Toledo had also submitted a bid.

The township went back out for bid proposals, and received three from the same companies, Mr. Eckel said.

The township retained three outside engineering firms, DGL Consulting Engineers LLC, Tetra Tech, and OHM Advisors, to rate the proposals. Todd Audet, an engineer with the Wood County Port Authority, also received them.

The township engineer was asked for the final recommendation, which was to hire Rudolph Libbe, Mr. Eckel said.

“We’re all fairly confident that we have jumped through every hoop, and have done everything properly,” he said.

“This has been a long time in the making,” said Trustee Bob Mack. “It’s kind of an exciting day for us to move forward on this project.”

He and Trustee Gary Britten approved the resolution; Joe Schaller, who has a family member working for Rudolph Libbe, abstained.

The resolution to hire a firm had been on the September agenda. It was pushed back as the bid review continued and it became clear that construction could not start until 2025, Mr. Eckel said.

The new, 10,000-square-foot administration building will be on the south end of the Lime City Road campus, which also includes police and fire facilities. The township’s communications center for emergency services, which is now in the police department’s space, will be relocated there.

The existing administration building, which is 16,000 square feet, will be evaluated to see if it could be used as a hall or office space that could be rented, Mr. Eckel said.

“The worst thing you can do is let a building sit vacant,” he said. “It could be more than storage.”

The trustees have designated $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the project.

In other business, the trustees approved a resolution supporting the Convention of States , which aims to curb the federal government’s spending and advocate for term limits in Congress.

Katherine Clark, of Center Township, addressed the trustees for a third time in recent weeks, asking for their support. She said six other township trustee boards in Wood County were supporting the resolution; two have declined.

“I know it is uncomfortable for township trustees to even have this discussion, because it seems political,” she said. “It is the duty of the state and local leaders to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution.”

The non-binding resolution asks the Senate and Assembly of the Ohio State Legislature, especially Sen. Theresa Gavarone [R., Bowling Green] and Rep. Haraz Ghanbari [R., Perrysburg], to advance and adopt with all possible speed, the concurrent legislative resolutions adding Ohio to the roll of other states which have adopted resolutions.

The hope is to trigger an Article V Convention Of States which would be limited to fiscal responsibility, term limits, and reining in the scope, power, and jurisdiction of the federal government, according to the resolution.

The three trustees voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.

“I agree with a lot of what you’re saying and from what I’ve read, I believe in this resolution and document,” Mr. Schaller said.