Parks advisory group backs $48,618 pool-chemical purchase order; staff to seek council approval

The Parks Advisory Commission recommended approval of a purchase order to Aquatic Source LLC for pool chemicals needed to operate the city’s four public pools, and staff said they will seek City Council approval because the contract may extend beyond the city administrator’s approval threshold.

Parks maintenance supervisor Scott Spooner explained that the city solicited bids and received two close offers in February; Aquatic Source was the low responsible bidder. "The amount of chlorine and other chemicals that we need to buy over the year runs, to the point where we needed to put those out to bid," Spooner said.

Under the city’s procurement rules, a one-year contract could be approved by the city administrator, but because both parties may extend the contract up to three years and that could exceed the $75,000 limit, procurement recommended taking the award to City Council for approval. Procurement staff briefed the commission that the one-year award is approximately $48,618.44 and that Aquatic Source has been a prior vendor.

Commissioners asked whether the price was higher than prior years; staff said the price has risen steadily but "hasn't gone up as much as I thought it would." The commission voted to recommend approval of the purchase order and to forward it to City Council for final approval; the motion carried unanimously at the meeting.

The packet included bid documents and a procurement recommendation; staff said the award is a one-year contract with options for both parties to extend for up to two additional years.