The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-16
NEW CALL FOR BIDS
ALL BIDS FOR ERECTION OF CITY
HALL REJECTED.
TO CONFER WITH COUNCIL.
FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WANTED
REGARDING NEW SPECIFICATIONS

! The Original Specifications Have
Been Altered by the Building
COmmittee-Desire TO Cut Down
the Price of the New Bids in Ac-
cOrdnnce with the Amount to he
Expended - All Contractors Will
he Allowed to Enter the Contest.
Time for Completing Building En-
tended-Want Indiana Limestone.
The Building Committee of City
Council decided yesterday afternoon to
reject all the bids submitted for the
construction of the City Hall. This in
| cludes the bid submitted by w. Z.
Lewman & Co. of Atlanta, which was
the lowest bid submitted by over $34,-
900.
A meeting of Council will be held to-
night and the Building Committee will
ask for further instructions before ad-
vertsing for new bids. The specif-
cations have been altered and the bid
! ders will be required to bid on two
different specifications instead of the
| original specifications as formerly
| outlined by the Building Committee.
Mayor Myers stated that the new
bids would be. advertised for Monday
and that the bidders would be given
| fifteen days in which to file their bids.
He said that the Building Committee
decided that the Lewman bid was not
in accordance with the specifications,
and for this reason it was decided that
it would be more satisfactory to call
for new bids and give all the bidders
another chance.
Time Limit Extended Twenty Days.
The date for the completion of the
building will be extended from Dec.
l to Dec. 20, on account of the delay
which will be caused in advertising for
new bids. The altered specifications
will require that the City Hall be con-
structed of Georgia granite on the
first floor and that the remainder of
the building be of Indiana limestone.
A number of things called for in the
original specifications have been strick-
en- out. The Mayor says that the OBJ
| ject of this is to lower the price of
| the bids and that while the items
stricken out were desirable, they were
| not necessary.
The chief object of the Building
| Committee is to keep the bids down to
the amount which it was first estimat-
ed would be necessary to construct
the building. The changes which have
been made will not effect the exterior
of the building, but all the items cut
out of the original specifications are
interior decorations.
New bid Open to All.
The new bid will not be confined to
those who submitted proposals under
the previous call, but all contractors
who desire to enter the contest will
| be allowed to do so. The bidders were
notified Thursday of the rejection of
all bids except that of Lewman & Co.,
and they will now be notified that this
| bid has also been rejected, and will
| be invited to again submit bids under
the new specifications. The advertise
ment for the new bids will also be
sent to other contractors throughout
| the country, accompanied by copies of
| the new specifications which have been
agreed upon by the committee.
The committee will take precaution
| to insist that all bidders keep within
the specifications outlined in submit
ting their new bids. 1t is thought that
| the committee will certainly be able
| to award the contract In the next
| batch of bids which are fled as it is
new City Hall begin as early as pos
sible. 1t is the general opinion among
| the members of the Building Com
mittee that the next batch of bids will
| be more in accordance with the speci-
fications furnished, and also more rea-
sonable in price than the bids which
have just been rejected.
Committee to Meet Again Monday.
The Building Committee will meet
again Monday to draw up the new call
| for bids. and also to carry out any
| suggestions that may be agreed upon
by Council at the meeting tonight.
| The bidders will all be notified by wire
| Immediately after the adjournment
Monday of the committees action in
order that they may have as much
| time as possible to arrange their new
| bids and submit them within the re-
! quired fifteen days. The new bids will
| probably he opened the first or second
| day of February, and it is hoped that
| the City Exchange will be removed
| in time to begin the foundation on the
new structure by the middle of March
1t has not been definitely decided as
to when the city offices will be NOV
| ed TO their new quarters. but it is prob
able that the change will be made in
| quarters about Feb. 1.
II the contract is awarded at the
next opening of the bids the success
| full bidder will want to begin the work
of removing the old structure without
delay. and for this reason the city of
| ficals will probably vacate within the
next two weeks.