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Annapolis city manager gives timeline for long-delayed Robert Eads Park work
Summary
City Manager Michael Malinoff told residents at the Feb. 24 special City Council meeting that a solicitation for Robert Eads Park is scheduled to post the week of Feb. 24, with bids due March 28 and an anticipated contract award in mid-April; residents had pressed the council about years of delay and visible deterioration at the site.
Belon (sp) McGowan, a Ward 2 resident, asked the City Council on Feb. 24 what was happening with long-delayed work at Robert Eads Park, saying the site had been “an eyesore” and unmaintained for four years.
The question drew a detailed status update from Michael Malinoff, the city manager. Malinoff said the procurement posting for the project would go live the week of Feb. 24, with a pre-bid meeting set for March 5, bids due March 28, an award memorandum the week of April 3 and an expected contract in mid-April. He said performance bonds will be required and the construction schedule will follow award.
The procurement timeline, Malinoff said, reflected recent staffing turnover in the procurement office and other internal delays. “Our procurement office is quite small,” he said, adding that a longtime procurement officer had retired and a deputy had recently died, requiring time to onboard replacements. Malinoff also said the city is creating a central services director position intended to coordinate capital projects and speed work in future.
Why it matters: residents and neighbors told the council the park’s condition is harming the neighborhood and that plans visible in 2021–23 had not moved to construction. Council members and residents pressed the administration for a concrete schedule; Malinoff’s timeline gives specific dates for the public solicitation and bid-review steps.
Additional details and constraints cited at the meeting: Malinoff and others said the design includes a living shoreline component on the waterfront, which requires approvals from state and federal natural-resources authorities and has been cleared for permitting work. Malcolm (sic) Malinoff said those waterfront approvals had been obtained.
Resident follow-ups and requests: Belon McGowan and another speaker, Godfrey Phelps, asked about outside funding. Phelps asked if state and county funds were part of the project; Malinoff did not dispute that outside funding had been identified, and the public record referenced county and state participation during prior planning, but specific funding amounts were not provided at the meeting.
What’s next: Malinoff said the contract award could take up to three weeks after the intent-to-award posting for signature and bonding, and he forecast that by mid-April a contract award and a construction schedule should be available for public review. Councilmembers urged staff to follow up directly with neighborhood representatives and the speakers who requested status information.
Ending: The city manager’s timetable gives a near-term procurement path after years of delay, but the project still depends on the bid outcomes, contract execution, and the federal and state permits needed for waterfront work.
