Awning plan goes back to the drawing board

By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle officials are hoping the second time’s a charm when it comes to bidding out a project to improve the city’s downtown area.
Bids for the downtown improvement project were opened last week and came in higher than expected. Rick Hall Construction of Hartselle bid $818,452, some $293,000 over budget.
The project includes refurbishing the existing awnings and adding greenspaces and planters in downtown. Some of the work will be funded through grant money.
Part of the problem, Tankersley said, is the rising cost of steel. Steel prices have increase more than 30 percent in the last week, something driving up the cost of the canopy work. He said the city will look at reworking the project to lessen the steel requirements, as well as expanding its bidder pool.