Warren City Council approves Park Street parking garage rehabilitation with 10% contingency

Warren City Council voted 5-1 on Aug. 25, 2025, to approve awarding the base bid for the Park Street (Little Ward) parking garage rehabilitation and to add a 10% contingency for unforeseen work.

Council members debated the scope, contingency use and schedule before the vote. City staff presented the bids and financing summary, saying the project would be funded with a state economic/ community development grant, a local share grant and local loan funds; speakers discussed a looming grant deadline and a goal to complete work so grant funds are expended by June 30. The council approved the award with one dissenting vote.

The council heard from city staff and the project consultant about the planned repairs and life expectancy. The consultant described three repair approaches studied earlier: a short-term fix (under five years of expected life), an intermediate repair the city selected (roughly five to 10 years of expected life), and a long-term replacement involving full slab removal and replacement, which was not considered cost-effective. The approved work focuses on partial-depth concrete repairs, patching, and recoating/waterproofing the slab to extend the garage's service life toward the 10-year range.

Council members asked how the 10% contingency would be applied. Staff and the consultant explained the contract is a combination of unit-price and lump-sum items: variable quantities (for example square footage of partial-depth patching) are paid at the contract unit price; if quantities exceed the established contract amounts or if additional scope is required, the contingency can be used to cover the additional costs. The council discussed the change-order process and was told that change orders would be processed and documented, and that contingencies are commonly used for both increased quantities and unforeseen scope changes.

City staff said contractors that submitted bids included CHD Enterprises and CPS Construction; two or three firms bid the work. Staff also said contractor schedules in pre-bid discussions indicated the work could be sequenced across fall and spring, with some levels completed this year and others next year. The goal discussed in the meeting was to finish by June 30 to meet grant spending deadlines; contractors did not object to that schedule during pre-bid talks.

On project cost and financing, staff presented the funding package during the meeting. In remarks during the meeting staff identified a roughly $1,000,000 state economic/community development grant, a local share grant (stated in the meeting as $350,000), and a $250,000 portion from a city loan taken out in March 2022. The exact base-bid numbers in the meeting record were discussed as presented by staff; the council motion approved the base bid plus the 10% contingency as presented at the meeting.

The roll-call vote on the final motion was: Miss Flasher, yes; Mr. Barbera, yes; Mr. Cashman, yes; Ms. McCain, no; Mr. Valella, yes; Mayor Wertman, yes. Mr. Gilbert was absent. The motion carried with five votes in the affirmative.

The meeting adjourned into an executive session that followed the special meeting agenda.