Sikeston council awards print bids

SIKESTON — Sikeston City Council awarded two bids to lease a photocopier and a large-format printer for the city’s community development department.

“Our copy machine that we currently have upstairs was given to us from downstairs so it has been at city hall for quite some time,” Barry Blevins, community development director, said during Council’s Monday, Feb. 5 meeting at city hall. “The reason why we are replacing the copy machine is due to its ability to get parts. They’re not making parts for this machine anymore.

According to Blevins, the bid was issued on Dec. 21 and due Jan. 24. The leases will be for 60 months on the equipment.

Blevins said three proposals were received and opened from NovaTech Inc., Scheffer’s and GFI Digital, all of which were examined by personnel. 

“Staff recommends the bid be awarded to NovaTech, Inc.,” Blevins said. 

According to Blevins, in terms of options and costs, the crew chose one firm for the equipment. The photocopier from NovaTech, Inc. costs $265.77 a month for 60 months.

When a member of the audience inquired which bid was the highest, Blevins said, “Novatech.” Blevins went on to describe the following proposal for the large-format printer.

“There are two bids; the other one is the next item on the agenda, which is a bid to lease a large-format printer,” Blevins said. “This is what we would use to print any plans or maps or anything like that upstairs in our department.

According to Blevins, their current printing machine is six years old and out of date.

Blevins said the NovaTech printer will cost $210.47 per month for 60 months.

“We chose NovaTech all together because we wanted to do something with a company that we could have both machines with, so you are dealing with one service group, and the Canon machine they are offering is similar to the one we have now and is good quality,” Blevins said. 

Blevins said NovaTech will also cover the cost of repairs. 

“NovaTech also, say we buy a printer head for $600, they’re not going to charge us anything to come put it in for us; they’re going to put it in for free,” Blevins said.

The Council also authorized Missouri Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program, or TAP, project to expand the Linn Street rail path east from Ingram to Veterans Park. The project costs $563,310 in total, with a $112,662 local share (20%) required.

At the council meeting, resident Michael Harris asked about the Rail-to-Trails westward extension. 

Sikeston Public Works Director Jay Lancaster informed Harris he had received conceptual plans for the project earlier that day.

“We do, however, have to have the westward expansion under contract in 2024,” Lancaster said. 

Also on Monday, the City Council accepted a proposal to re-plat 5.530 acres, known as the Magazine Trace Re-Plat, on Baker Lane’s north side. The revised re-plat will have fewer lots than the original concept, but they will have cul-de-sacs, providing greater area for emergency vehicles.