Costs to Repair Fanwood Retaining Wall Lower than Expected

Fanwood is one step closer to reconstructing the retaining wall by the fire department.

Attorney Dennis Estes reported this week that the bids the borough received for the project are much lower than what they originally expected. Borough engineers had initially estimated that the project would cost about $75,000, but the bids that came in were less than half of that. The one they hope to accept comes out to about $30,000.

Borough Engineer Joseph Pryor reported to the council last year that the three-tiered retaining wall is "moving," and that's it's only a matter of time before it falls. The wall, which is at least 25 years old, is made from railroad ties and has been deteriorating for years.

One technical issue with the bid the borough wants to accept is that the bidder wrote the amount out in numbers on one line and wrote it in words on another, both for different amounts. In the total bid, though, they used the lower of the numbers.

While some documents need to be double-checked and brought to the council's attention, it is thought that the council can accept this bid despite the confusion caused by the error. The bid comes out to about $30,000. If it is ultimately decided that they cannot accept this bid, the job will go to the next lowest bidder at approximately $36,000.