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Council rejects $102,973 Gordian feasibility study for new police building after budget and scope concerns
Summary
Councilors questioned scope and cost of a proposed $102,973 feasibility study for three candidate police‑building sites and declined to authorize the contract after members said city engineers and prior borings should be considered first.
The Glenarden City Council voted on Jan. 21 not to authorize Gordian to perform a proposed feasibility study for a new police building at a cost of $102,973.27.
Supporters argued the study would identify the best of three candidate sites and provide a single vendor procurement route through Sourcewell and the Maryland Department of General Services. Gordian representatives described their pricing methodology as tied to a regional "price book" of construction line items maintained for Maryland procurement.
Yet several council members said the price was excessive for a study focused primarily on site feasibility for a roughly 9,000‑square‑foot building. "I just don't understand why we're spending a hundred thousand dollars on this," Councilman Harry said, citing prior borings and engineers' reports on nearby lots. Councilwoman Fareed said she was not comfortable approving the contract without clearer deliverables and an explanation of how the study's cost would be applied to later design or construction work.
Gordian business‑development representative Robin Merhutta told the council the company would need to review liability and technical criteria before accepting an outside feasibility study prepared by another firm, and offered to provide the council with more detailed operational answers. "It would depend on the liability for the contractor, if they're willing to accept their drawings," Merhutta said.
After discussion, the council took a voice vote and the resolution authorizing Gordian to proceed was not adopted. Council members asked staff to consult the city's engineering firm (CPJA/CPJ A) for an independent assessment and to return with more complete cost comparisons and sample deliverables before moving ahead.
The resolution had proposed funding the study from the Capital Outlay Police Facility account and cited Sourcewell and Maryland DGS contract vehicles as the procurement path. The proposed amount on the resolution was $102,973.27.
Following the vote, the council directed staff to return with additional analysis and to consult CPJA for comparison before any new authorization is considered.
Votes at a glance: the council took a voice vote on the Gordian feasibility resolution and the motion failed (council floor recorded a mix of yes/no/abstain responses; mayor and staff to provide a full roll‑call on remand).
