Pocomoke City council narrows community center field, asks firms to clarify costs and parking plans

Pocomoke City councilors and staff spent their Oct. 15 work session reviewing 11 proposals for a proposed Pocomoke City community center (also called the life center), identifying a short list of finalists and asking firms for clarifications on costs, procurement roles and parking at the Maple Street site.

The discussion focused on three persistent issues: transparency of total project costs beyond architecture-and-engineering (A&E) fees; who would manage bidding and subcontractor approvals; and how the building and parking layout would work on the city-owned lot behind the old armory on Maple Street. Miss Matthews, the city staff member presenting the proposals, said several firms provided detailed A&E fees but omitted a lump-sum building cost that the city needs for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application.

Why it matters: the city said it must demonstrate at least estimated A&E fees in its CDBG application; Miss Matthews said the CDBG program can award up to $800,000 and that awards are announced in December, and grantees must ‘‘spend down’’ funds over two years. That timeline makes firm cost…