By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — City street projects are underway for the summer, unfortunately not in a way that is immediately visible yet.
City Engineer Rick Gaul is putting together specifications on the various repaving and rebuilding projects around the city but it may be awhile before any “concrete” work gets done. Several other things have to take place first.

“I know that Rick is working on specs but we have to have a common wage construction meeting first,” said Plymouth Street Superintendant Jim Marquardt.
The meeting must be held when total dollar amount of the projects exceeds a predetermined amount. Representatives from the city, the county, the taxpayers, the unions and the state must then meet and discuss the rate of pay that will be voted on and set as a minimum for those working on the projects. The meeting must be held before any project can go to the bid process.
“Once the bid process starts you’re probably looking at a couple of weeks before those decisions are made,” said Marquardt. “Then you have to get on the schedule for the construction company so we’re probably looking at around a month before any real work begins.
“A lot of it is just going to depend on when the bids come in.”
After that process, the city will have to look closely at the bids’ dollar amounts to decide just how much street work they can afford in the current year. Several projects are of great importance.
“Any of the areas we’ve put down to pave are in real bad need of it,” said Marquardt. “I think the area near Showland Cinema is probably the worst, and then Bayless Street between Alexander and Hogarth.”
One project is well underway. The city’s summer sidewalk program has been a big success so far.
“Our guys have really been ripping through them, I’ve been very happy with how well that’s going,” said Marquardt. “I’d say we’re definitely more than halfway through the sidewalk program right now.”