The city of Brundidge likes to do good business and City Manager Britt Thomas did not perceive the proposed contract with CSX Railroad as "good business."

However, the council was faced with little else to do except sign the contract which was about $20,000 more than the original contact offered by the railroad company.

The contract is for railroad crossing improvements

in conjunction with an access road project to serve the industrial park on North Railroad Ave.

"Under the new contract we received from CSX, they want $103,000 for the improvements and they want it up front," Thomas said. "To me, that's just not good business and I wasn't even sure that we were authorized under state law to do that."

However, Thomas consulted with attorneys for the League of Municipalities and was told that it would be permissible to pay up front as long as the payment was authorized by the city council.

"We can't work on the railroad; they won't let us," Thomas said. "They want to do it and they want the money up front."

Under that contract, CSX will remove and replace old crossties and rails, install rubber matting and a drainage system and level the crossing to tie in with the access road.

Council member Sherroll Tatom asked if the improvements would include lighting and was told that lighting would cost about $150,000.

After some discussion, the council voted to approve the signing of the contract with CSX and submit funding to improve the crossing at the industrial park.

The work is to be completed by CSX by Jan. 8, 2004.

The council also awarded bids for street and drainage and sewer improvements on North Railroad Ave.

The contract for street and drainage improvements was awarded to low bidder Graham Construction Company of Brundidge. The bid was for $326,652.17 and included an access road, gutters and curbing.

Other bids were APAC, $360,589; Triple C Construction, $377,345.91; Heavy Earth, $368,704.70; and Wiregrass $370,316.50.

The city will be responsible for 40 percent of the total contract and EDA will pay 60 percent.

The contract for sewer improvements was awarded to Blankenship Contracting of Dothan which

offered the low bid of $220,207. The bid included a generator, which will be in place as standby power, and a concrete pad for the generator.

Other total base bids for sewer system improvements were Klapal Contracting, $237,092; Gilco Contracting; $232,120.73; JP Carter Construction, $260,158;

and Chatom Construction, $238,000.

Four companies Hilton Cooper, Water, Sewer and Gas, Underground Utilities and Beasley, submitted incorrect bids and requested that their bids be removed from the bid process.

Bids for wastwater sewer improvement s were considered, but no action was taken. The council asked for more time to consider the bids which were considerably more than the original estimate.