The Public Products Committee of Tuscaloosa City approved a series of minor public-works contracts and service agreements and tabled one agenda item for one week at its meeting.

The approvals included bids and change orders for city facility repairs and replacements, a one-year IT license renewal, a call-routing service for on-call staff, annual medical screenings for Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue personnel, and testing services tied to demolition and site work for the former Tuscaloosa News site.

Committee members voted to award the River Market HVAC replacement contract to the lowest responsive bidder for $268,422; the funding was drawn from the city’s CFG five-year facility improvements account. The committee also approved a minor public-works contract with Straight Line Fence for fencing and a gate replacement at the Mercedes‑Benz Amphitheater, funded by the River District Fund, at a total described in the meeting as $18,082 (amount listed in packet as $18,0824; the transcript contains an inconsistent figure). The board approved a Springbrook Park improvement contract with Backyard Solutions for $11,899, funded through the park component of the project budget (the meeting cited the 1% park component).

Other facility work approved included a $4,750 contract with Ryan Bridal Works to install a dumpster gate at the IMF site (presented as a routine closure and aesthetic/maintenance improvement) and a $6,700 increase to a contract with American Fence Company to install a 30-foot gate at Fleet Services (part of the five-year facilities plan). A change order of $900 for Waterfront Solutions was approved to replace walkway flooring as part of the Sharp's Landing dock construction project, bringing that project’s stated total to $200,900.

The committee tabled item number 7 for one week at the request of the chairman, who asked for additional time to review details.

On information technology and services, the committee authorized a one‑year license renewal and support agreement with UKG Kronos Systems LLC for timekeeping systems at $62,235.26, an expected and budgeted IT maintenance expense. It also authorized the chief information officer to execute agreements with TapCall Inc., a dynamic on-call call-routing system the city plans to use primarily for public-safety on-call notifications; the presenter described expected costs of roughly $150 per month, variable by usage.

For public-safety personnel services, the committee approved a 12‑month professional-services contract with Vital Exam LLC not to exceed $166,000 to continue physical wellness examinations and testing for Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue first responders. Committee discussion noted this is the third year of the program and that roughly 187 employees had signed up to date; presenters said prior screenings had identified health issues early for some employees.

Finally, the committee approved a $14,140 contract with TTL for construction-material testing and special inspection services tied to the mass-demolition package for the former Tuscaloosa News facility (referred to in the meeting as the savings center project). Presenters said TTL will observe placement and testing of imported fill material after removal of foundations and basement walls; the activity was described as likely to take a couple of weeks depending on site conditions.

Most approvals were made by motion, second and voice vote with the chair calling for aye (the meeting recorded “all in favor say aye” and “aye” responses); the transcript does not record individual roll-call tallies. No items were recorded as defeated. Several items had brief staff explanations but no extended debate.

The committee’s next scheduled public meeting was announced as Tuesday, January 14 (as stated in the meeting), and the chair adjourned the session after the approvals and the tabling of item 7.