Westmoreland County controller's office bustles to open contract bids, pay bills

Jim Roach, owner of Wexford Contracting in Zelienople, said he needed a reason to leave the house.

So Roach made the long drive in to Greensburg on Tuesday to attend a public bid opening at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. He was one of two bidders who attended.

“I had to hand deliver the bid and figured I’d come since I’ve been sequestered in my home for a week,” said Roach, whose bid was the lowest of the two proposals received to install a new kitchen floor at the county jail.

Tuesday’s bid opening was in some ways business as usual for the courthouse — something that hasn’t happened as the county last week scaled-back operations and moved to social distancing because of the coronavirus outbreak. There were concessions to the times, though, as officials moved the opening to a large conference room to allow for additional space to accommodate what could have been 20 bidders who sought nine different construction projects.

Vera Spina, the county’s chief clerk, said plans were in place to rotate bidders in to the conference room should representatives from each of the firms who submitted proposals had attended.

Vince Fontana, owner of Vince Building Co. in Greensburg, bid on two contracts — construction of a summer kitchen at the Westmoreland Conservation District offices and a metal roof for the county’s Department of Public Works maintenance facility. He said he wanted to attend to see if his company would get the jobs.

“I don’t know how long this situation is going to go. I need to have work in the pipeline. If I have these jobs then maybe I won’t go to the next one,” Fontana said.

Neither of his proposals were the lowest submitted.

Commissioners could award construction projects at their next scheduled meeting in April.

While much of the courthouse saw the empty hallways and locked doors, the county controller’s office bustled with activity on Tuesday.

In addition to the bid opening, nearly half of the office staff of 27 employees came to work to process bills and checks to pay for crucial county services.

Deputy Controller Rege Garris said nearly 300 checks were prepared to pay out $3.2 million to cover utilities, stipends for foster parents and other end-of-month bills.

“This is our busy period. There will be days when it will go back to almost nothing. Everyone is trying their best to keep the wheels turning,” Garris said.