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Council rejects bids for Blue Anchor Park shade project after residents, members voice cost concerns
Summary
Council voted to reject the competitive bids for the Blue Anchor Park shade-and-trees project after residents and several council members said the current proposal had grown too expensive and the shade-sail option had a limited lifespan; staff will revisit the design and funding sources.
After extended public comment and council deliberation, the Loomis Town Council voted to reject the bids for a proposed park improvement that included a shade sail structure and tree plantings at Blue Anchor Park.
The project, originally proposed in a different configuration last year, came in significantly over earlier engineer estimates. Residents and several council members questioned the lifecycle cost of the proposed shade sail and the decision to draw $57,000 from the town’s tree fund and additional park funds. Miguel Yukovich, a resident, urged the council to consider more durable, lower-cost options: "This is costing almost $60 for every man, woman, and child in this town," he said, arguing the sail cloth would not last and could be vandalized.
Jan Clark Kretz and other commenters cautioned that the shade sail carrying a modest warranty will require replacement within a decade and urged fiscal restraint while the town’s surplus is small. Staff explained the bid breakdown: the shade fabric and supply cost an estimated $60,000–$75,000 while mobilization and construction added to a roughly $97,000 total for the shade cell; the overall package drew on tree and park fund reserves but exceeded the original budget.
Council members emphasized the difference between special-purpose funds and the general fund, and many said they wanted more community input and the option to include the project in a pending SACOG civic-spaces grant. Given the degree of change from the prior design, staff advised that rejecting the bids would allow the town to return with a revised scope or seek alternative construction approaches. The motion to reject all bids carried by affirmative roll-call votes.
Next steps: staff will pause work with the awarded contractor, re-evaluate scope (value engineering or alternative materials), consider SACOG grant inclusion for broader civic-space planning, and return to council with revised options and cost estimates.
