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Council awards contract for pared‑down Steven Taylor pavilion after rebid; scope reduced to fit budget
Summary
After earlier bids came in far above budget, the council awarded a contract to build a scaled‑back Steven Taylor 'Sanctity of Life' pavilion. Staff reduced landscaping, removed a seat wall and made the labyrinth an alternate; the new low bid was roughly $349,842 versus a prior low bid of $598,933. Council approved the award unanimously.
The City Council on June 2 approved awarding a construction contract for the Steven Taylor memorial pavilion after staff reduced the project's scope to fit available funds.
City Engineer Jason May said the original design included features — a labyrinth, three seat walls and significant landscaping — that produced bids far above the available budget. “The prices came out very significantly over budget,” May told the council, and staff were directed to redraw the project to align with the remaining budget. In the revised package the material for the plaza was changed from colored concrete to decomposed granite, one seat wall was removed, landscaping was significantly reduced and the labyrinth was offered as an alternate; staff recommended not including the labyrinth because its cost exceeded available funding.
The project drew public comment from family members and community advocates who have supported the memorial since 2021. Addie Kitchen, who identified herself as the grandmother of Steven Taylor, told the council she wanted to see the plans and urged progress: “We've been working on this since 2021… and here it is 2025. And we're still trying to figure out how, when, and where this park is gonna be completed.” Derek Benson, a community coordinator with the Anti Police Terror Project, thanked the council for moving the project forward and urged continued support for the family’s priorities.
Staff said the reissued bid produced a single responsive base bid of $349,842; city staff compared that with a prior low bid of $598,933 on the earlier, larger scope. The staff presentation noted the redesign reduced the program shortfall from roughly $400,000 to about $140,000; staff requested an additional appropriation of $140,000 to enable the award.
Council Member Aguilar moved the award; the motion passed unanimously, 7‑0. Staff said the low number of bidders and narrower scope may have reduced economies of scale, which contributed to the difference between the two rounds of bids.
The contract award covers the pared‑down work described in staff materials; the labyrinth remains an alternate that staff are not recommending for inclusion given current budget constraints. Council members asked staff to keep the community informed as work proceeds.
