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City Administrator Jim Arndt said that the door to the gym in city hall is difficult to shut and lock while the front and side door at the police station are severely rusted.
He said a contractor was called to look at the doors under the previous city administration, but no repairs were made.
"It's just not going to go away and we need to do something with it," Arndt said. "We have to make these repairs."
St. Clair Police Chief Bill Hammack said the doors at the police station are in much need of replacement. Both door frames are completely rusted through to the outside.
Additionally, the front door of the police station tends to stick. Hammack said that there have been several instances when people going to the police department think the door is locked and leave.
Arndt said he's had several people coming to city hall asking why the police department is closed in the middle of the day. In reality, the door was just stuck.
Prior to the vote, Arndt did not disclose the only cost estimate he had for fear of complicating the bidding process, if one would be needed.
He said the cost would be under $7,500 and it took him two months to receive that bid from a local contractor.
"I have one bid and it was a struggle getting that bid," Arndt said. "I can continue trying to get other bids, but it's just going to delay things and we really need to get this done prior to going into the 2010s budget."
He added that the contractor agreed to do the job for very little over the cost of materials and is charging almost nothing for the labor.
Arndt said it would take two workers two days to complete the job and said it would be done by the end of the year.
Blum said that the hardware needed for the doors always tends to be expensive. Additionally, the frames are anchored in brick which takes more labor.
Arndt said the current galvanized doors would be replaced with stainless steel and should last much longer this time.
"I really don't feel like we're going to get a better bid," Blum said, breaking the 2-2 tie with his vote. "I don't feel that going out for a better bid is going to produce any better of a result."
