Turlock council rejects sole bid for senior center and Marty Yerby accessibility renovations, will re-advertise

Turlock — The City Council voted to reject a lone contractor bid for accessibility upgrades at the senior center and Marty Yerby Recreation Facility and directed staff to re-advertise the project.

Staff briefed the council on Project 24-036, which proposed ADA upgrades including new hollow metal doors and automatic door openers at two senior center entrances, touchless restroom fixtures, and conversion of restrooms at the Marty Yerby facility to unisex ADA‑accessible restrooms with new tile, lighting, exhaust and automatic openers. The project was advertised on Aug. 14, 2025, and the city received only one bid by the Aug. 26 due date.

Creative Property Renewal Inc. of Stockton submitted the sole bid at $236,000. Staff reported an engineer's estimate of $129,000.78; staff characterized the submitted bid as substantially higher than the estimate and recommended rejecting and re‑advertising the project. Staff said re‑advertising would extend the advertisement period (staff recommended at least 21 days), include a mandatory pre‑bid meeting, and increase exposure to encourage competitive pricing. Staff noted that no general‑fund dollars would be used and that most design costs have already been expended in a prior fiscal year.

Council members asked staff to verify the engineer's estimate and discussed whether to hold the advertisement open longer (one council member suggested 30 days). Staff agreed to recheck the estimate and return with a full fiscal breakdown when the project is rebid. The council moved to reject the bid and re‑advertise; the motion passed by roll-call vote reported as 5‑0.

Next steps: staff will re‑advertise the project, add a mandatory pre‑bid meeting, and return with a fiscal breakdown and schedule for rebidding.