Norwich – The city received nine demolition bids ranging in price from $43,900 to $103,838 Thursday to tear down a 15,000-square-foot former mill building at 26 Shipping St.

The City Council approved funding for the demolition Monday as part of an ordinance to bond up to $500,000 to demolish buildings and clean up properties at 77 Chestnut St. and 26 Shipping St., both owned by the city.

If low bids for the two projects are determined to be acceptable, the city would not need to bond for the entire amount authorized in the ordinance.

The low bid to demolish the much-larger and more contaminated Chestnut Street property was $249,711 submitted in December by a neighbor in the block between Chestnut and Franklin streets, Wiese Construction, Inc. at 282 Franklin St. The two-building complex is about 40,000 square feet.

Wiese also bid on the Shipping Street demolition, but was more than $16,000 higher than the low bid of $43,470 submitted by Associated Building Wreckers of Springfield, Mass.

City Purchasing Agent William Block said he is awaiting approval of the low bid for the Chestnut Street property by the city Public Works Department, and he has turned over the new bid results for Shipping Street property to Director of Inspections James Troeger for review.