Late arrivals to the Gaffney City Council might have thought they walked into a spelling bee.

Methodically, City Administrator James Taylor spelled the consultant's last name, C-A-N-O-N. Then, to rule out any hint of a conflict of interest, he spelled C-A-NN O-N, the contractor who submitted the low bid for a new roof as part of the project to transform the old post office into the city's new visual arts and welcome center.

Cannon Roofing, LLC, had the low bid of $147,713. Cyclone Roofing, LLC, had the next-lowest bid of $151,580. Three other contractors submitted bids, with C.E. Bourne and Co. having the highest bid of $198,985.

Without hesitation, council awarded Cannon Roofing the contract.

At Monday's meeting, the project architect also unveiled the carpet colors and interior finishes picked out by the city's Building and Grounds Committee for the project.

The architect also told council members the final interior renovation plans are

nearing completion and should soon be ready for bid.

Five contractors have cleared the pre-qualification stage of the process and are the only contractors eligible to bid on the interior renovations. They are SYS Contractors, Sossamon Construction, M.B. Kahn/Argo Division, Hoke Enterprises and Triangle Construction

The city will use Hospitality Tax revenue and a remaining portion of a state grant to pay for the renovations. Most of the $400,000 state grant was used to purchase the building from a North Carolina businessman.