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El Mirage approves $180,000 Park & Recreation office remodel after split council debate on procurement
Summary
The El Mirage council voted 4–3 to authorize a contract with job order contractor Woodruff Construction for up to $180,000 to remodel the Parks & Recreation administrative offices. Dissenting members called for competitive bidding and questioned use of a job order contract.
The El Mirage Common Council on June 17 authorized a city manager contract with job order contractor Woodruff Construction to complete the Parks and Recreation Department administrative building refurbishments for a total not to exceed $180,000 ( $178,710.59 plus $1,289.41 contingency). The motion passed 4–3.
Vice Mayor Parsons moved to approve the contract; Council member Winston seconded. Council members voting in favor were Mayor Alexis Edemcio, Vice Mayor Parsons, Council member Dorsey and Council member Winston. Council members voting no were Council member Norton McDaniel, Council member Gentry and Council member Eldridge.
Scope and staff explanation: City staff described the project as renovation of an existing Parks & Recreation building to address paint, flooring, electrical and office reconfiguration needs. The contract line items cited in discussion included about $64,900 for paint and flooring. Staff said the project would consolidate department functions and place a new management support position near the bulk of department staff.
Objections from council: Several council members said they supported remodeling but wanted a more competitive procurement process rather than awarding the work through the city’s job order contract (JOC) program. Council member Eldridge, who requested the item be pulled from consent, said: "When we're spending this kind of money... we've got to go out and we've got to get bids from other companies." Council member Norton McDaniel said parts of the pricing looked "way over the top" and requested additional bids for competitive pricing. Council member Gentry asked why existing space in the senior center or previously used offices could not be repurposed instead of renovating and demolishing parts of the building.
Defense of JOC use: Other council members defended the JOC approach, noting the program is a standard municipal procurement model intended to streamline recurring midscale projects. Council member Dorsey said the process has produced reasonable results in the past and warned against restarting procurement at additional cost in staff time.
Follow-up: City Manager (staff) said she would bring back a work session on the job order contracting process to address council concerns and review the JOC program in more detail. The Parks & Recreation Department was identified as the implementing department for the remodel.
Ending: The council approved the contract and directed staff to proceed under the authorized authorization; staff also committed to return with broader information about the JOC procurement process.
