Clearlake council authorizes $239,800 demolition contract for former water park

Clearlake's City Council voted to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Resource Environmental for demolition and removal of the former water‑park infrastructure on the old airport parcel, accepting a $239,800 low bid and allowing up to 10% for unforeseen amendments.Public Works staff described a limited bidding response — six firms attended a mandatory pre‑bid meeting but only two submitted proposals — and said staff contacted the non‑bidders to determine why. "Two of them said they just forgot to bid," the Public Works presenter said, adding that another firm lacked equipment and one could not be reached.The public works presenter told council the low bid came in at $239,800 while the higher bid was more than twice that, and recommended moving forward rather than rebidding because Resource Environmental said they could complete the work at that price. City Manager Flora and other staff cautioned that while rebidding was an option, the city had no engineer's estimate and the low bid aligned with prior experience for that vendor. "We were in my discussion with the city engineer, we thought it would be around 150," the presenter said, adding there was uncertainty and potential for wintertime complications.Council members split on timing: some worried the low bid might invite change orders if the contractor underbid, others said waiting could increase costs. Vice Mayor Purdoch and Councilman Kramer supported proceeding to show visible progress at the site. Councilman Kramer moved to authorize the contract and the motion passed on a voice vote.Staff will manage the contract and any amendments within the authorized contingency and return to council with status updates as demolition work proceeds.