Council advances funding amendment for park fence to second reading; asks for in-house cost estimate

Council moved Ordinance 2025-O-10, an amendment to the 2025 appropriation ordinances to fund replacement of park fencing, to second reading after questions about whether in-house crews could reduce cost.

During first reading, staff described the project as roughly 1,821 linear feet of six-foot privacy panels and explained the work would include steel posts and concrete footings. A council member asked whether the service department could purchase materials and do staged panel replacements cheaper than the cited contractor price; staff said heavy equipment rental and lack of warranty on in-house work would likely make contracting preferable.

Council asked staff to provide a cost estimate for doing the work in-house so members could compare total lifecycle costs and warranty differences. The ordinance will return for a second reading; no appropriation was finalized at this meeting.