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The Athens Uptown Improvements and Sunset Motel projects face roadblocks during the bid process
By: Amanda Pirani
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — A project to fund improvements in uptown Athens was cancelled after being put out to bid four times without receiving a single proposal.
However, the city was later able to negotiate the use of those ODOT funds for the already contracted roundabout project at the intersection of State Routes 56 and 682.
Another uptown project funded by the Appalachian Community Grant Program to bury overhead utilities on portions of State and Carpenter streets will continue as planned.
Athens Service-Safety Director Andy Stone said there are a few possible reasons why it was difficult to secure a bid for the ODOT-funded project.
“There’s a lot of work out there,” he said. “Especially with the Appalachian Community Grant projects in southeast Ohio … and I think contractors were hesitant to sign up for more work than they could actually meet.”
Construction trades in Ohio have reported increasing labor shortages as the workforce ages and demand grows. According to a report by Ohio Job and Family Services, an estimated 21,656 job openings in skilled trades will need to be filled annually through 2030.
Stone said that in addition to contractors’ limited availability, working in uptown Athens can also be less appealing due to traffic congestion and older infrastructure.
The city made adjustments to its proposal over the two years it was soliciting bids to no success.
“I think over time we probably doubled the amount of money that we were making available,” Stone said.
However, municipal entities are limited in what they can offer in a contract. The city could not exceed more than 120% of the designer’s estimated cost.
Another local project has seen similar roadblocks in the bid process. After two bidding rounds, an emergency shelter planned for the former Sunset Motel received proposals more than $1 million over the project’s estimate.
Valerie Stillson, Hocking Perry Athens Community Action (HAPCAP) public relations coordinator, said the rising cost of materials and a shortage of contractors could have contributed to the high estimates.
“We’ve heard that it could be … labor availability, some of the complexity of renovating an older structure … rising material costs, prevailing wage requirements, bid bond costs,” she said.
In December, Stillson said the organization was weighing potential changes to the scope of the project. HAPCAP ultimately made no alterations to its third request for bids, which will open Feb. 13.
“At this stage, rebidding is a responsible step before making any changes to the project,” Stillson said. “It allows us to fully assess current market interest and pricing before determining next steps.”
She added that timing can influence bidding and hopes the new bid request will reach contractors who may have been previously unavailable or unfamiliar with the project.
Amanda Pirani is WOUB’s Report for America Journalist covering Economic Livelihood. For more information about Report for America, you can click here.
Update (2/4/25 12:50 PM): This story was updated to reflect responses from Valerie Stillson regarding the decision not to make project changes for the third bid request for the Sunset Motel shelter.