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Show Contractors Dispute County On Road Work Before the county built its mulch plant, it was buying the mixture, on bids, for $3.60 a ton-n- ot delivered. In 1964 the county used 119,420 tons of mulch. Buying it from the Valley Asphalt plant, which submitted the low bid, the mulch would have cost about oil-gra- The county could $578,000. make it for a little more than $400,000. To determine the extent to which American cities perform public works construction using their own forces as opposed to letting this work out through the competitive bid process, the Association of General Contractors sent a questionnaire to 1,700 cities of 10,000 or more pop- ulation. Replies were returned by 215. Two questions asked were: what advantages do you see in contract constriction? construction by force account Generally, the answers Indicated that contract construction is less expensive, offers the city the advantages of specialised contractors. The advantages generally listed for force account were that it is better suited for small jobs, saves the time of preparing bidding and contract documents, facilitates changes of construction plans as work progresses, and offers better supervision. San Diego California, with a population of 600,000, sent back a reply to both questions. Contract advantages: Bv re work Contractors have the advantage of hiring all the labor they need and also equipment to get the jobdone' Force Account advantages: These are usually too small for a contractor to do and are scattered about. We have also done some force account work with contractors when we got behind with these small-job- s. Also this method is better when work must begin at once because there is no waiting around advertising and receiving bids " Seattle Washington, population 563,000, answered Occasionally we use the day labor system when the estimated cost of an improvement is less than $1,000. The additional cost of preparing a formal contract and advertising for bids is not warranted. Webelieve that the contract operations to maintenance activities, a city has a rather stable It avoids the work force. problem of what to do with equipment which have just completed a construction pro- ject." Advantages of force account: problems of contract administration are avoided, most vexing of which is secur-ing full compliance with sped ftcations. Also, force account construction can be frequently be performed at less cost to the city." Atlanta Georgia, population 487,000, spent $3,360,000 on new construction In 1964 and $3,200,000 on road maintenance. Contract advantages; On contracts you know what the work will cost ona unit price basis, subject only to v3sjniantities ox system using competitive bidding keeps construction costs low In this area we have contracting firms with experienced crews to fulfill most of our construction needs " Mr. Gunn noted that the construction business is one of the most vicious there is. Each year hundreds of contractors go broke in Utah, he said He explained that contractors pay many thousands in taxes each year - We just want a chance to make some of it back," he said. When asked if his group would cooperate in a test whereby the county and private contractors would build a road and compare costs right down the line, he replied We welcome the challenge, however a agency such as the Bureau of Public Roads tra stricting force account m side-by-si- de non-part- ial should officiate, making sure that no hidden costs are excluded " Following are some reasons claimed by the Association of General Contractors for bidding of road-wor1 Contractors must bid for their work and thus lowest prices are assured. 2 Contractors are taxpayers, yet they must be in competition to Salt Lake County who produces nothing in the form of taxes to support the county government. 3 W hen work is contracted, it requires that plans be drawn up and work detailed and inspected 4 Contractors are bonded both by a performance and payment bond. 5 Contractors are part of the free enterprise system and engage in a very highly k: THE UTAH SYMPHONY GUILD annual membership tea was held yesterday at the James E. Hogle residence. Among the distinguished guests were Mrs. Vincent L. Rees, treasurer; Mrs. Maurice Abravanel, cook for the conductor", and Mrs. Herbert E. Meyer Jr., assistant treasurer. Pouring for the tea were Mrs. Calvin L. Rampton, Mrs. J. Bracken Lee and Mrs Abravanel, First Ladies of Utah". PRE-FA- 4x8 CLEARANCE LL FINISHED OAK PANELING RUBBEROID 12x12 5.69 TILE (VINYL ASBESTOS) 15 DEVOE PAINT 3.99 ALL-WOO- D 1.98 PANTA STAIN 20 OFF ON ALL ALUMINUM LADDERS SEE OUR G m Shop "fre.sh, 6 FVqvov -- 5 Jelled Fruit Salad Chicken Casserole Whipped Potatoes Green Peas & Corn ful Grads IA1 Wens" CJ2) 33 Chicken Casserole T. butter or margarine 13 c. chicken fat I T. chopped parsley 12 c. flour, browned 2 12 c. chicken broth 14 c. chopped onion 2 t. alt 14 c. chopped celery k leaves 1 1. onion Juice dash of pepper 2 c. cut-u- p 34 t, poultry seasoning cooked 1 shredded pkg. bite-si- se chicken rice biscuits, crushed (about 6 12 c.) Butler as square baking dish. Melt butter. 3 Rolls & Butter c Cookies C-- ot. Cook parsley, onion celery and leaves soft, about S min. Add pepper and 12 In butter until t. poultry seas- oning. Add crushed cereal. Toss lightly. Place P0TAT0E FLAKES FRUIT Black sDeckvr W" 16 DRILLJIG SAWDRILL KIT DELUXE U-2- The better 88 UCN needle d 1 13 V" i? tl. 4 lor 89C SrMV?r 5 trl. 00 SWEET PEAS NIBLETS CORN 12 02. can SAUSAGE Town 6 tor nd Country Brand 1.00 ife? LOAF Si! PAPER .TOWELS SAN'WICH DRILL KIT V4" drill with twit drill 14 piece . . . Feature bit, wire brush, grinding wheel, wheel arbor, chuck key A holder, backing pad, sanding d'tcs and a custom molded carrying cate 16.88 MARGARINE 49C lb. flour. In baking dish. Melt chicken fat. Add Mix thoroughly. Gradually add broth. Add salt, 14 t. poultry seasoning and onion Juice. Stir and cook until thick and boiling pour half of sauce over cereal In baking dish. Add chicken. Add remainder of sauce. Top with remaining cereal mixture. Bake at 375 F. for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Makes 4'kservings 3ibi 19C ONIONS JIG SAW 1 1.19 ' COCKTAIL n.6"; 6.88 The economy priced j'g saw' with professional capability to make intricate cut in wood, metal or plastic. . . . 16.88 U-- 99C ID. DRILL V4 drill that feature economy-pricebearing at point of greatest normal wear U-1- E'Te.r, Pultbury 10 bag, IOC off FLOUR cereal mixture 12 iTm". 2 fw43C lor 890 490 GLASS CUT TO SIZE SERVE-N-SAV- E CORNER OF 10th EAST AND 33rd SOUTH 0PEI1 MOfl. A FRI. SUNDAY 10 A .M. TIL 9 to 2 P.M. a very friendly store competitive business. 6. Contractors have skilled personnel who are available to the county only for the time they are needed and do not remain on county payrolls in the off season. Arguments for the county position are much shorter, but pack just as much punch;, the county can do it cheaper. They can make mulch for almost a dollar a ton less then they can buy it; the county can hire a laborer for $2 28. Union scale is $3.02. This is one of those situations where both sides could be right - at least the time is ripe now for further study whereby hopefully the best method will be found and put into operation. |