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Councilors hear skate-park bid overrun; parks official says only one bidder, funding increase needed
Summary
During a Syracuse City Council study session, councilors discussed higher-than-expected construction bids for the skate-park expansion (agenda item 14). Parks staff said only one contractor bid and the city will need to increase its funding request; a $200,000 commitment from Senator May was noted.
Syracuse City Council discussed higher-than-expected bids for an expansion of the city skate park during its study session; parks staff said only one contractor submitted a bid and the city must increase the project appropriation.
Councilor Caldwell raised the issue, asking why a project that had been described as roughly $450,000 came in “higher” and whether the city could rebid. Commissioner Byrd, identified in the meeting as commissioner of parks, said the work is for expansion of the entire park, not a single piece, and that only one bidder submitted a proposal. “So we had to increase the amount we were asking for,” Byrd said.
Joe Barry, First Assistant Corporation Counsel, told the council the city is not bound by a single bid and that the purchase division can rebid the project or attempt to negotiate with the low bidder, though negotiations can be difficult. A parks staff member (identified in the session as Sasha) said the bid solicitation had been open “for a while” but that only one contractor submitted an offer.
Participants discussed the project budget figures as stated in the meeting. A parks staffer said the original project cost appeared in documentation as $450,000 and that the amount had increased slightly; the transcript records a stated commitment of $200,000 from “Senator May.” On the record at the session a council member and a parks official referred to a total project figure as $750,000. The council did not finalize a new appropriation during the study session.
Councilors and members of the skate-park community said they had received renderings and additional information after initial questions. Councilor Caldwell asked whether the city must accept the lone bid or could rebid; Barry reiterated the options to rebid or negotiate.
No formal vote or appropriation took place during the discussion. Councilors said they would follow up with the purchasing division and parks staff for more detailed budget and timeline information before returning the item to a future agenda.
