Wooster’s North Market sewer tabulation separates sewer separation from sanitary-sewer lining. Its budget separates related entries across two funds. Reading only one package or one fund misses part of the financial picture—but adding everything together does not produce a verified contract cost.
Our September 12 review found five tabulated bids, a $3,800 difference between one tabulated amount and a bid-form note, and a third budget row missing from our earlier comparison. The reviewed records do not establish an award, paid amount or present construction status.
Contract A and Contract B are different bid comparisons
The one-page City tabulation is dated May 14, 2026 for bid opening, with a May 19 footer. It labels the separation work Contract A and the sanitary lining Contract B. Those package labels are not proof that either contract was executed.
| Bid package | Bidder named in the City table | Tabulated amount |
|---|---|---|
| A — sewer separation | Palmer & Son Excavating Ltd. | $803,491.90 |
| A — sewer separation | Dirt Dawg Excavating, LLC | $890,302.00 |
| B — sanitary sewer lining | United Survey, LLC | $202,590.00 |
| B — sanitary sewer lining | Insituform Technologies, LLC | $323,247.00 |
| B — sanitary sewer lining | Inliner Solutions, LLC | $362,210.00 |
Compare amounts within each package, not as five competing prices for identical work. The names identify public bid columns; they are not recommendations or verified award recipients.
The first A column needs clarification
Palmer & Son’s column shows $803,491.90, while the highlighted note below says its bid form shows $807,291.90. LSL’s subtraction is $807,291.90 − $803,491.90 = $3,800.00. We have not resolved which amount the City accepted or why the figures differ.
The useful follow-up is specific: ask Engineering for the bid evaluation or correction record addressing that difference, together with any award decision. Do not quietly choose one figure, call it the winning bid, or treat the difference as savings or misconduct.
Keep the engineer’s estimate in its own column
The same document lists engineer estimates of $560,000 for A and $300,000 for B. Its $860,000 base plus $86,000 construction contingency totals $946,000. LSL reproduced that addition and the stated 10% contingency calculation; we did not validate every line-item estimate.
These are engineer estimates, not bidder totals. Combining the lowest displayed A and B amounts would still not establish the City’s contracted price, particularly while the A-column difference remains unresolved.
The budget comparison needs three rows, not two
The 2026 adopted appropriations document contains the following rows on PDF pages 126–127, printed pages 3-9 and 3-10. The amount column is headed Budget Requested even within that adopted document. We preserve that label rather than present the entries as payments.
| North Market entry | Fund and general ledger | Budget Requested |
|---|---|---|
| Sanitary sewer lining | 502 Sewer; 502.34.513 | $400,000 |
| Sewer separation | 502 Sewer; 502.34.513 | $325,000 |
| Street storm sewer | 507 Storm Sewer; 507.34.502 | $325,000 |
The first two entries total $725,000—the subtotal in our earlier article. The storm-sewer fund adds another listed $325,000. $400,000 + $325,000 + $325,000 = $1,050,000 across these three displayed rows.
That sum is not a verified final project cost. The repeated entries in the document’s ten-year plan are not additional allocations to count again. Other North Market streetscape or traffic projects are not included in this sewer comparison.
Nor does subtracting the engineer’s estimate from the budget-row sum establish unspent money. The documents organize the work differently; an executed scope and fund-level accounting are needed before reconciling an actual balance.
Ask for the record that answers your question
The City’s bidding page supplies the tabulation and lists 330-263-5251 for Engineering questions. Identify North Market Street sewer separation and whether your question concerns A, B or both.
- Which amount was accepted? Request the evaluation of the first A-column difference and the award decision for each package.
- What has the City committed or paid? Request the executed agreements, amendments and payments, identifying funds 502 and 507 so the storm-fund line is not overlooked.
- Will the work affect my block? Request the current construction limits and dated access, traffic or utility notices. A May bid opening cannot answer a September driveway or service question.
This is LSL’s question list, not a City-required form. We have not submitted a records request or contacted a bidder.
What changed in this review
We read the current Engineering bid page, the complete rendered tabulation and the relevant budget pages on September 12, 2026. LSL transcribed the separate package/fund observations and reproduced only the additions and subtraction shown above. No corridor visit, private procurement access or field verification took place.
The former budget URL and two earlier Council-packet URLs now return 404. We recovered the budget from the current Finance directory, but not the two agenda files. The older estimate-change and grant/loan comparisons have therefore been withdrawn from this version, not silently assigned new verification dates. Their earlier research history is retained. The missing files do not, by themselves, prove those historical claims false.