Carbondale parks commission backs aquatic center, trustees narrow change‑order threshold

The Carbondale Parks and Recreation Commission voted July 9 to send a letter of support for the town's new aquatic center and heard staff explain how a recent trustee interpretation of the town procurement policy will affect the project.

The commission's chair, Hala Sutherland, opened the meeting and noted the commission is advisory; Eric Brenlinger, Carbondale's parks and recreation director, briefed commissioners on two developments affecting the aquatic center's schedule and budget: a trustees' clarification of the procurement policy's change‑order threshold, and an updated funding recap showing a remaining fundraising gap.

Brenlinger told the commission that the town attorney offered two readings of the procurement policy language and recommended the trustees adopt language specific to the Carbondale Aquatic Center that would require trustees review when a single change order exceeds $100,000, but would not require trustee review when cumulative smaller change orders surpass $100,000. "He recommended that the trustees make a motion specific to the Carbonneau Aquatics Pool Project, to say to say over over a $100,000 for 1 item, not cumulative of the change orders, and anything that would change the initial scope of the project and the and the approved project budget,"…