GASBURG, VA – The Lake Gaston Weed Control Council (LGWCC) awarded the 2007 chemical treatment contract to Professional Lake Management (PLM) last Wednesday night.
The decision to award the bid to PLM was made after reviewing their bid as well as bids from Aquatic Nuisance Plant Control (ANPC) and Foster Lake & Pond Management.
While explaining how they arrived at awarding the bid, LGWCC contract committee chairman Wayne Carter stated that it was down to two companies, ANPC and PLM. The difference between the winning bid for PLM and the ANPC bid came to only $300. This was determined by using the formula that the committee adopted for the bids. PLM’s bid was $185,000 and ANPC bid was $185,300.
The formula they used was based on treating 800 acres with four treatments. Nine hundred and fifty-one acres were treated last year. The committee multiplied the cost per acre treated by the number of acres to be treated then multiplied that figure by four. They then added the administrative cost into the figure to arrive at the final estimate for consideration of which company would cost the least.
In PLM’s case the bid included a $25,000 administrative fee plus $50 per treated surface acre for each treatment. ANPC bid was $12,500 for the administrative fee plus $54 per treated acre.
PLMs bid included two possible treatment scenarios. One was for treating 1,000 acres and the other was for 1,500 acres. Their scenarios assumed that they would be working from a budget of $775,000 for the 1,000 acres and a budget of $1,130,000 for 1,500 acre. The LGWCC proposed budget for 2007 allows for $1,173,700 to be spent on chemical treatment.
Last year when PLM treated the hydrilla their treatment was rated as good to excellent according to the final Assessment of Lake Gaston Hydrilla Management Efforts in 2006. The report also noted that there were only minor differences noted between the 2005 treatment assessment, when ANPC had the contract, and 2006 reports.
The bids were computed using a specific scenario of treating 800 acres four times. The actual number of acres to be treated this year has not been determined and the number of times to be treated is also open to consideration and will be determined as the season progresses.
PLM’s bid recognized the weed council’s intent of using grass carp, as recommended by the Lake Gaston Stakeholders Board, as part of an overall treatment program. PLM stated their willingness to participate in this component of weed control and stated that they will work under the direction of LGWCC to implement it.
In the discussion during the question and answer period at last week’s meeting Chris Cheek, president of PLM, told the council that he recognized that there were some problems with public communications last year and he plans to do better this year.
Over the next several weeks PLM will work up a proposal for this year’s treatment. Cheek stated that they will take into consideration the recent recommendations submitted by the Technical Advisory Group of the Stakeholder’s Board. They will also be considering how to treat the Eurasian Watermilfoil and Egeria (Brazilian elodea) on the western end of Lake Gaston.
The final 2007 treatment plan will be approved at next month’s LGWCC meeting on April 18.