S.E. Cline Construction, the Palm Coast-based contractor that recently fell into some disfavor with the Palm Coast city administration over a Belle Terre sidewalk project that fell a year behind schedule, won a $216,000 contract with Flagler County government this morning, with little controversy. Late last month the Palm Coast city council, on advice from its administration, considered rejecting a bid for a new project by S.E. Cline, but eventually accepted it.
The job will carry out improvements to the River to Sea Preserve park in northeast Flagler, along State Road A1A, with money secured from a National Scenic Byways grant to the town of Marineland, the Friends of A1A and A1A Scenic Pride, and the state Department of Transportation. The county is administering the grant. S.E. Cline was one of just two bidders for the job. Ormond Beach’s Crossroads Site Development and Underground Utilities LLC had bid at $335,575.
The work will improve the park’s entrance with monument signs, parking improvements, a sidewalk, landscaping and trail-system signage.
Jack Carrell, a frequent presence at county and city meetings and a sharp observer of local government’s work, raised objections over hiring S.E. Cline.
Craig Coffey, the county administrator, said the company has a good track record with the county, with seven projects in the books. “We’ve had fairly good success on all of those, we’ve never experienced a year behind or anything like that,” Coffey said. “They’re doing two projects at the airport, they’re currently on schedule, on budget and everything else,” he said, listing other projects as well. “We occasionally had problems, we occasionally have problems with all our contractors at one time or another.”
Commissioners approved the contract unanimously.
Susan Gorski says
“The work will improve the park’s entrance with … a sidewalk….” Hopefully that one won’t be underwater when it rains.
Palm Coast Resident says
Lowest bidder by 119 k and providing jobs for locals…..Thank You Cline Construction
Ben Dover says
Yeah all the local Mexicans, to run to Walmart and send the money to their family and friends so they can pay off a border guard to look the other way , so more illegals can come take our jobs
I'm glad I left PC says
Hey Bend Dover, I worked five years for Cline Construction and there are no local MEXICANS ! All the employees are hard working, tax paying residents of Palm Coast and Flagler County . If it wasn’t for Cline Construction most of Palm Coast would not be there! Why don’t you tell me what Cline Construction has built in this city dating back to 1988?
Pierre Tristam says
Are you suggesting that having Mexicans on Clines’ or any local crew is somehow an indication of lesser quality? Ben Dover is a bigot, that’s clear enough, but it’s just as bigoted and idiotic to so enthusiastically say that “there are no local Mexicans,” as if that were a seal of credibility. It isn’t. Palm Coast, a city where more than half the population doesn’t work by choice, our blessed retirees being on the dole (when they’re not at tea party meetings bitching about other people being on the dole), could use a few Mexicans, who work their ass off by necessity. Let’s cut the bigoted crap. The national political discussion is poisoned enough by it. We don’t need it here.