West Union opens bids

Seven contractors submitted bids for tearing down the old West Union School. An unofficial tally of their bids ranged from a low of $39 thousand, 350 dollars to a high of nearly $72 thousand. The apparent low bidder is a Seneca company, Southern Capital and Development. After the bid opening, its representative told Mayor Linda Oliver, Councilwoman Sharon Zimmerman, and S.C. A-COG’s Dirk Reis that his company is one that torn down the old Clemson Holiday Inn. As the bid specifications required, the bidders included an amount to clean and save the brick for the town to re-use for a new purpose. While concerns about asbestos were addressed, West Union has been sitting on a $110 thousand Community Development Block Grant to do the job. A-COG’s Reis said the amount of difference between the contract award and the $110 thousand must be returned to the S.C. Commerce Department.