By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – Plans to award a construction contract for a 33,000-square-foot library in Destrehan were delayed Monday at the St. Charles Parish Council meeting because of a lawsuit filed by the second-lowest bidder in the project.

Harris Builders, who submitted a bid of $8.25 million for the library, filed a restraining order that challenged the validity of Lamar Contractors’ low bid of $7.9 million.

The lawsuit claims that Lamar’s bid does not specify how many days it would take to complete the project.

Parish officials claim that the bid from Lamar is acceptable since the bid package set up by the parish states that construction cannot take longer than 425 days, but St. Charles District Judge Emile St. Pierre granted the preliminary injunction, which advises the council not to act until a hearing is held.

Once the building is completed, it will become the new headquarters of the St. Charles Parish Library system. The move will give more space to patrons using the West Regional Library in Luling, which is used for administration offices.

A hearing on the contract dispute is set for February 21 at 10 a.m.