Council approves Ellet Sign bid for Pervis Park sign after debate over electrical work

The University Heights City Council voted Tuesday to accept a $72,006.48 bid from Ellet Sign Company to fabricate signs for Pervis Park and Susan K. Enfield Gazzabo.

Council members approved the manufacturing contract after a lengthy discussion about how electrical service for the sign will be provided and paid for. Vice Mayor (presiding) and other council members said they want the sign fabricated now so it can be ready for the pool season, while several council members pressed administration to present bids and a plan for trenching and electrical hookup before installation.

Council members said Ellet is the low bidder and familiar with the city's branding. Guide Studio, the city's project manager on signage, prepared design documents in the packet and recommended Ellet; councilors noted the fabricator is not an electrical contractor and that electrical work was specifically excluded from the bid. Ms. Weiser asked the administration to obtain at least two bids for the electrical installation and to report back at the next council meeting so the sign's fabrication and electrical work can be coordinated.

Mayor Ginsburg said the city owns a strip of land between the pool and the sign site and that power is available at the pool; he said running a trench is feasible and that he was “very comfortable” electrical service can be provided. Several council members urged the administration to secure electrical specifications from Guide Studio so electrical bidders can price the work in time to meet the desired installation before or shortly after Memorial Day.

A motion to accept the Ellet bid carried on roll call (ayes: King, Cooney, Wise, Marshall, Weiser; nays: Sacks, Wright). The council did not approve an electrical contract at the same time; members instructed the administration to return with cost estimates and recommendations on whether the electrical work would require separate bids or fall under the mayor’s spending authority.

Councilors and staff said fabrication could take four to eight weeks; several discussed the risk that fabricating a sign before electric is confirmed could produce a sign that cannot be energized on schedule. Guide Studio will continue to serve as project manager, the mayor said, and will coordinate the electrical work with the city.

The council also asked that Guide Studio provide at least two quotations for electrical installation to ensure competitive pricing before the sign is energized.