Commission rejects $1.5M revised Gerry Ivy bid, orders rebid with splash pad as priority

The City Commission voted Jan. 27 to reject the current construction bid for the Gerry Ivy Memorial Park improvement project and directed staff to rebid the work after an extended public and commissioner debate about scope, cost and priorities.

Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hammond told the commission contractors submitted only one initial bid in December, which exceeded the project’s budget. The city and the designer worked with the bidder to pare back aesthetic and scope items; Hammond reported a revised bid in the packet of about $1,506,440 including a 5% contingency, but staff said that still generated a shortfall relative to the project account.

Commissioners spent more than two hours debating whether to accept a scaled-back plan, finance the remainder from general reserves or postpone the project. Arguments centered on whether cutting components — removed items included limestone seating blocks, reduced fountain basin size, and fewer water cannons — would produce something the city would later regret; others worried about the short-term blow to residents expecting a spray pad for the coming summer.

Commissioner Bill Longbine moved to reject the bid and rebid the project, asking staff to present a bid that uses the spray pad (splash ground) as the base bid and includes the water wall as an add alternate; the commission also agreed the law-enforcement memorial should be considered separately (either as an add alternate or separate procurement).

The motion passed by voice vote. The commission then asked staff and the consultant to prepare bid documents structured to encourage multiple bidders, to include add alternates so the governing body can select discrete components from the low responsive bid, and to return with firm cost comparisons for a range of spray-pad sizes. Commissioners acknowledged a rebid timeline would likely mean the spray pad will not be constructed for the coming summer, but they emphasized securing competitive pricing and preserving design quality.

Why it matters: the project had been designed to replace an older pond with a splash pad, add a water wall and create a law-enforcement memorial. The initial engineer’s estimate and the single December bid diverged, prompting a re-evaluation of whether to proceed immediately, scale down or split the project into separate phases.

Details commissioners highlighted: the revised contractor proposal reduced the original $1.82 million scope to roughly $1.51 million by eliminating certain finishes and reducing the splash pad basin by about 12 feet. Staff said the project still faces a funding gap of approximately $1.08 million if the commission accepted the revised figure as the final contract amount; staff offered options including using parks-maintenance reserves, tapping the general fund reserve, or debt financing.

Public comment at the meeting strongly favored preserving a high-quality spray pad and urged the commission to rebid rather than accept a heavily stripped-down version. Several commissioners said they preferred rebidding with clear add alternates in the solicitation so the commission can choose which elements to add back if bids allow.

Next steps: staff will prepare new bid documents and return to the commission with pricing options; a rebid schedule and the plumbing/installation details for a spray pad sized to the commission’s direction were requested. The commission made clear the splash pad is the priority for the immediate rebid, with the water wall as an add alternate and the memorial considered separately.