Council awards $2.46 million contract to repair TeWinkle Park lakes, with scope reduced to meet budget

The City Council awarded a contract on Tuesday to repair and rehabilitate the two lakes at TeWinkle Park, directing staff to proceed with a narrowed scope of work that city engineers said would fix leaks and shorelines while trimming high‑cost treatment systems.

The project is funded in part with a state grant and city capital funds; staff said prior work showed the lakes had been losing an estimated 1,000,000 gallons of water per month and that erosion and liner failures were worsening. After two formal bid rounds and negotiations to remove nonessential items, staff recommended a reduced contract to replace liners, repair shorelines, deepen sections of the lakes, and restore circulation and biofiltration features.

The contractor: Staff reported that Hualoa Enterprises Limited submitted the lone responsive bid after rebidding; the negotiated contract amount presented to council was $2,459,777 with a 10% contingency. Council discussion focused on scope reductions the city had made to stay within available grant and capital funds, and on whether to defer additional aesthetic or pump‑station improvements to later maintenance or separate contracts.

Council vote and context: In a divided vote on a substitute motion to proceed with the reduced scope and award, council approved the contract 4–3. Council members who supported the award said delaying repairs would increase water loss and future costs; those opposed asked for more time to explore alternatives, including whether the lake system should be repurposed, and requested more detailed cost and maintenance projections.

Next steps: Staff said construction will be phased to keep parts of the park open and the lakes will be worked on one at a time over an estimated nine‑month construction window. Staff will return to council with updates and any additional funding requests if unforeseen conditions arise.