Berlin Street Contract Awarded

Berlin Street Contract Awarded
The surface of Baker Street, which connects West Street and Harrison Avenue, features oyster shell cement and asphalt. Photo by Charlene Sharpe

BERLIN – Officials in Berlin this week selected a contractor to repair and improve Baker Street.

On Tuesday, the Berlin Town Council awarded a $139,364 contract to Goody Hill Groundwork Inc. to make improvements to Baker Street, the last roadway in town to contain oyster shell cement.

A second bid from George & Lynch Inc. was submitted for $163,481.

Town Administrator Laura Allen said the lowest bid from Goody Hill was nearly $20,000 over the town’s budget of $120,000 because of additional issues Baker Street residents wanted the town to address.

In addition to repairing the oyster shell cement and replacing the surrounding asphalt, Allen said Goody Hill would also address drainage issues, replace damaged portions of the sidewalk and repave an additional portion of the roadway beyond the railroad tracks.

While town staff prepared alternatives that would eliminate additional projects on Baker Street and reduce the cost, Allen suggested that officials accommodate residents’ concerns.

“What we are recommending is to go ahead and award the contract,” she said.

The $20,000 overage will be funded from town reserves.

Josh Taylor, an associate with Davis, Bowen & Friedel, said the project would be completed by the end of the year depending upon the weather.

“We want it to be completed before Christmas,” he said.

Suzanne Parks, a Baker Street resident who originally approached town officials about the deteriorating historic road, thanked elected leaders and her neighbors for their efforts, but asked the council for help to enforce Baker Street’s truck ban.

Until recently, the road has served as an alternative route for Adkins Company trucks after the company closed a portion of Harrison Avenue to the public.  As a result, the two-toned street has received significant wear and tear to both its concrete and asphalt portions.

In May, the Berlin Town Council took certain measures to preserve Baker Street by prohibiting trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating exceeding 14,000 pounds from driving down the road. The resolution does not include emergency vehicles and trucks making deliveries to a business or residence on the street.

Parks told the council she has noticed a significant decrease in tractor trailer traffic along Baker Street, but said she occasionally witnesses trucks turn onto her road from Main Street.

She asked the council to consider installing more signs.

“There are no truck signs on Baker Street,” she said. “The one on the railroad sign is very visible. The one on Main Street is not.”

Mayor Gee Williams questioned if local law enforcement could impose stronger warnings and larger fines on truck drivers traveling down Baker Street.

“It sounds like this is a daily problem,” he said.

Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing told Williams it would be difficult to give out warnings and fines to trucking companies that travel to Adkins on a yearly basis.

He added that navigation systems often lead truck drivers who are unaware of the weight restriction down Baker Street.

“If GPS is telling them to go down that road, that is where they are going to go,” he said.

Councilman Zack Tyndall suggested the town reach out to GPS companies to make Baker Street a restricted road.

“If you travel in certain places using either apps or the GPS in your car you’ll get a notification if you are heading down a restricted area of some sort …,” he said. “It may be a more economical solution.”

Parks argued that the town should work toward a solution that will protect the road in the future.

“If we are going to repair it then we’ve got to protect it,” she said.

The council voted 4-0, with Councilman Elroy Brittingham absent, to award Goody Hill the $139,364 contract.

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.