Rose Hill selects Adams Company for CDBG-NR

ROSE HILL — After a competitive bid process, Rose Hill’s board of commissioners decided Tuesday night at their monthly meeting to move forward with approval for the Adams Company to provide grant administrative services for the town’s 2024 Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) award. Last year, the town received $950,000 as part of the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s CDBG-NR project, which will see four houses demolished and reconstructed over the course of the next 36 months.
Town Administrator Angela Smith recommended the Warsaw-based Adams Company over Insight Planning and Development of Wilmington, citing cost as a principal factor in her recommendation. “Based off the scoring, both of them have affluent experience,” said the town administrator, who indicated that either company would serve the town well.
Kevin Amory, vice president of construction for Insight, spoke during public comment in an effort to advocate for his company.
“We understand the recommendation is for the Adam’s Company, and have no fault with that,” started Amory. “Although we did charge you, we charged you a much less amount than we normally do for doing an application, so we do feel we made an investment in Rose Hill,” he continued. “We are a historically under-utilized business, namely a service-disabled veteran-owned small business. If this was a strict federal procurement, that alone would give us a 10% price preference.”
Amory went on to express that, while this contract was not strictly federal, he felt the application discount and the 10% price preference would make Insight the low respondent. “Just wanted to make sure the board considered it. Whatever your recommendation is and what you vote to do, we’ll live by it. And wish the best to Rose Hill, if it’s not us,” he concluded.
Ultimately, the decision of the council came down to price and locality, with the Insight offering $152,000 to Adams’ $133,000. “Not able to differentiate by any level of service between the two, I prefer to keep it in our county,” said William “Billy” Wilson, commissioner. A motion was brought and unanimously accepted by the board.
The board also declared its intent to close the undedicated street previously known as Avalon Drive, following the petition of Rose Hill residents Tasha Mathis and her husband, Derrick, at the town’s February board meeting. As the board advised this course of action at their last meeting, the resolution passed with no comment or discussion.
In other news, an extremely dilapidated building located at 110 SW Railroad St will meet its end at the hands of Crumb Construction LLC of Greenville following approval at the monthly meeting. Built in 1907, the commercial property has seen much of its architecture reclaimed by nature following the collapse of its roof untold years ago.
Crumb Construction was awarded the bid out of four contenders at a quote of $89,000, and will see to the demolition and removal of the structure as well as asbestos abatement. Once removed, the company will seed and fertilize the location as a measure to control erosion.