Tuscaloosa City Council approves storefront grants, change orders and construction contract

The Tuscaloosa City Council approved a series of routine and project-specific items Tuesday, including the final allocation of remaining storefront-improvement funds and several construction change orders and contracts.

Council approved allocating the roughly $17,544 remaining in the Facelift Storefront Improvement Program to projects recommended by the committee, with council members indicating support for funding the Druid City Makerspace application that matched the remaining amount. Council did not record a named mover or seconder in the transcript; the chair called the vote and members said “aye,” and the item was approved.

The council approved Change Order No. 1 with Mark Johnson Construction for the campus-area water distribution system and instrumentation upgrades, a closeout add of $50,089.96. City staff said the work reflects changes made during construction to the SCADA control system to integrate the new equipment with city operations. Staff said the additional cost will be covered by moving unencumbered funds from the Ed Love Railroad pump station project to this account; that financing change was noted as an accompanying finance item to be taken up by the finance committee.

Council also approved Change Order No. 1 with Hughes and Mullenex for the River Market HVAC replacement project for an additional $31,007 to relocate an outdoor condenser unit so line sets conform to manufacturer specifications and protect equipment lifespan and warranty. Staff said the relocation requires electrical work and sidewalk removal/replacement, and that funds are available in the account cited in the city’s five-year plan.

The council awarded the construction contract for the Northridge pickleball courts to Price Construction as the low bidder. Staff described the project as adding eight courts, a new parking lot and a sidewalk extension to serve the Buddy Powell Pavilion; the construction timeline was given as 210 days. During discussion staff listed the four bids as Price Construction $1.373 million; Somerville Construction $1.438 million; NC Morgan $1.464 million; and Amos and Associates $1.525 million. The agenda line and an earlier staff remark contained different dollar figures for the contract (see clarifying details).

The council approved a minor public-works contract with West Alabama Mechanical to install gas piping at Fire Station No. 6 for $13,600. Staff said the work will reconnect the building’s kitchen, four furnaces and water heater to one meter after the previous service arrangement — which had contained service from two directions — changed when an adjacent church was demolished.

Council authorized the mayor to execute a contract modification with N. Harris Computer (the vendor for the Blueprints permitting/inspection product) for $2,500 per year to allow Urban Development staff direct access to raw data for advanced reporting and system integration.

Finally, the council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an annual permit for paddleboard rentals at Lake Nickel with Butch Gregory, who has operated hourly rentals at the lake for several years; staff told the council there have been no prior issues with the operation.

The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn and unanimous voice votes on the listed items.

Why it matters: The approvals move several capital projects and small operational contracts forward and allocate remaining grant funds to small-business storefront improvements, actions that affect neighborhood amenities, public works reliability and permitting data access used by city staff.