MPS to re-bid for Lincoln Avenue School demolition contractors after appeal
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will open bidding for demolition of the Lincoln Avenue School for a third time.
The school was destroyed by a fire in June, and the city determined it would need to be torn down.
The district plans to have the school demolished by next spring.
"We really want to get this building down quickly for our neighbors and make sure that it's brought down safely," said Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius, who joined district leaders in a community meeting Thursday to provide updates about the demolition plan.
"Being able to do this work is very complex and delicate work when you're dealing with hazardous materials," she explained.
The district's first call for bids over the summer yielded only one applicant, prompting a second call that yielded six.
In October, MPS signed a contract with a bidder, but before it was approved by the board, another company raised concern about the bidding process.
In Thursday's meeting, the district announced they will do the re-bidding process again.
"It's relieving to us that the appeal process seemed to have worked," said Marcus Dumpke, the director of growth for MRD Group.
The Milwaukee-based demolition company filed the appeal after learning MPS signed a contract with TW Chicago at a much higher rate.
"The MRD Group bid $928,000 and TW bid $4.8 million," Dumpke told CBS 58.
He said his team found out that TW Chicago's bid had been selected through an MPS board meeting agenda.
"We just saw that single contract page for the total number, and that's when we said, hold on a second; this is not an almost $5 million job," explained Dumpke.
He said being outbid by five times an amount is unprecedented, especially when companies have the same scope of a project.
"We didn't undercut our numbers majorly," he said. "We're logistically 10 minutes from the job site. So, it makes sense that our bid would be more competitive."
Dr. Cassellius said the rebid process will begin next week, with hopes to have a contractor officially selected by December.
"In an abundance of caution, we want to make sure that it is absolutely a fair process moving forward," the superintendent explained. "We got our attorneys involved, and we'll make sure that that goes forward appropriately."
Cassellius opted not to discuss the specifics about the last bid process during Thursday's meeting, saying it's in order to protect the integrity of the rebid process.
She clarified the negotiated rate for demolition would be covered by insurance, not the district.
MPS will continue to host community meetings to keep neighbors informed about the timeline and process of demolition and plans to potentially rebuild the school.