Bessemer Township Board reviews wages for general laborer

By JEAN NORDINE jnordine@yourdailyglobe.com RAMSAY – At the Bessemer township board meeting Monday night the board ended the meeting by going into closed session. At their Aug. 13 meeting the clerk had provided the current wage breakdown from the AFSME contract. The township has been trying to hire a new DPW general laborer, but the beginning wage has proven to be a huge stumbling block. A wage comparison from other townships for general laborer was presented Monday night showing that Bessemer Township pays an average of $4.83 less per hour for a general laborer. The board went into a closed session to discuss a wage proposal they received from the union. The board has placed ads for the re-bidding of demolition of two buildings in town. Supervisor Randall said that some of the problems with the bid that was previously received is where the remnants would be taken for disposal. The township has an ordinance that specifies they use the GRSWMA. This raised the current bid that was received from Snow Country Contracting, therefore the board has advertised for new bids. In other business the board granted a change order to the park project for additional earth excavation near the tennis courts to assist drainage. During ground work on the area a 50 foot long concrete wall was unearthed. As this was not recognized as part of the initial project plans, additional funds were needed for earth to fill in the area. The township agreed to the purchasing of a new pipe and cable locator. The new equipment will replace the old water/sewer locator which they have had since 1991. The locator will cost $3400 and be purchased from SubSurface Instruments, out of DePere, Wis..

Back to top