The Town of Dauphin Island at the town meeting on March 18, 2008 stated the Public Director (I am assuming that would be Ms. Joyce Allen) that LTS Construction was the only bidder for construction of the approximately 720 square foot concession/public restroom at Billy Goat Hole for the sum of $76,560.00. Ms. Carolyn Wood made the motion and second by Ms. Mary Thompson. I found it most concerning that given today’s economy that of the numerous contractors on our tiny island and in the surrounding area only one bidder would step forward. While I am not a contractor, I do have a little knowledge of construction and this amount is not only extremely high it is in my opinion most probably in excess of $50,000.00 too much and suggests improprieties. Two contractors where contacted and stated that without knowing the complete specifications this building would most probably fall with the $20,000 to $25,000 range.

Who is LTS Construction?
It appears that a Mr. Lon Edward Lindquist is the owner and operator. A check with the state business licensing found LTS Development purchased a license on Jan. 31, 2008 (Just before the bidding was to begin). According to state law bids of over $50,000 also require a General Contractors License, however neither Mr. Lindquist nor LTS Construction possess same. A little further checking revealed that our town failed to advertise this supposed contract in the Newspaper, claiming that it was advertised via bulletin boards around town. The Competitive Bid Law states that any offers in excess of $7500.00 falls under this Act.

On March 27th LTS Construction was given notice by The State of Alabama that it could not proceed with the construction of the building in question until it was in compliance with state law. It now appears that LTS is continuing, however in the construction of a pier at this location for which it also appears that no public offering was made.
`The fact that LTS Construction is not a licensed business, nor does it comply with State Law requiring a GC license, then the contract with same is now null and void according to law. The law further states that civil action can be taken by a taxpayer or vendor against the municipality.

Should LTS Construction be allowed to continue on the erection of a pier and construction of a building?

What are the facts, here:
1) The Offer for Bids did not comply with the Alabama Competitive Bid Law nor does it appear that the pier construction was included in same, again requiring another bid.

2) The Project director failed to properly insure that the bidder met the requirements of law.

3) The excessive amount of the contract is suggestive of criminal activities.

4) Lon Lindquist and LTS Construction do not possess a General Contractors License

5) Under state law the contract with LTS is now null and void and should cease.

I think that at this point I am including a link to the State Law http://www.examiners.state.al.us/FormPub/Bid_Law.pdf
It might be advisable for our town leaders and project director to read this.

It appears that Mr. Lindquist has had dealings with our town in the past and again raises the question of improprieties or incompetence or both on the part of our town leaders and employees. The statement at town hall is that of “This is just people that want to stir things up”. With that said I must agree, if you fail to perform your job, if you violate the laws of the state, if you spend my tax dollars wrongly than you can count me in for Stirring things up. This is only a posting to let the rest of our community and you (town leaders) know that these activities merit close scrutiny by the State of Alabama Ethics Commission and District Attorneys Office and they too will be informed.

Claude Pittle

Sounds like you have made a pretty solid case for this contract to be questioned.

Most public buildings do cost a great deal more to construct than the typical residential structure, because of the criteria that must be met in order for the building to reach very exacting code requirements.  3x would not be that uncommon, especially if there are any unique site requirements.

Does this concession stand have the required restroom?  Will a sewer line need to be provided to a distant main?  Will there be any cooking done in this concession stand?  If so, the required fire suppression system will also bump the price up.  More needs to be known before judgement can be made on the fair value of the building.

Often small contractors do not have the bonding capability to go after some of these jobs, or they simply do not want to endure the enormous amount of red tape involved.  If the private sector is booming, it even becomes more difficult to find bidders.  Large contractors would only fool with such a small contract, if they could see it leading to much more work.  So, those aspects of your complaint are not that cut and dry.

The failure to properly advertise the project is concerning........

Bravo Claude!
I applaud you for not only taking the time to research, but also for taking a stand! I am a contractor, but I stick to primarily residential remodeling. You are right on track though with your post. I am not a resident of Dauphin Island, but if I were, I would be just as concerned as you are...in fact, I would not only stir things up, I would bring them to a boil! The cost does seem a little high to me, but then, like I said, I stick to residential remodeling. I would try to find out if there is an itemized list of permitting costs, supplies, materials and labor. At least, that is how I present a bid to a client. Corruption runs rampant here, so I would definately want to know where my tax money was going. I personally have never heard of the company that you mentioned, but then, I keep to myself. Either way, keep digging and hang in there!