Glenarden council awards $1.43 million contract to install municipal elevator

The Glenarden City Council voted to award a construction contract to Kurenik Construction Group LLC for the municipal elevator project at the James R. Cousins Municipal Center, with funding set at $1,431,113 from the city’s capital projects fund.

The measure, presented by the clerk as a resolution referencing Prince George’s County’s competitively awarded bid number WS453765375, authorizes the city manager to execute task orders and related documents and permits reliance on the county’s competitive procurement. Council discussion centered on contract language that originally allowed the city manager to “negotiate, execute, and administer” the contract. Several members objected to the word “negotiate” and pressed for explicit language requiring council review of change orders.

Council members said they wanted transparency on potential cost increases. One council member noted that change orders could cause the contract to “balloon” beyond the engineering estimate; another asked for a specific threshold for council review. Staff acknowledged the risk of change orders and agreed to add language specifying that change orders above $6,000 must be returned to the council for approval.

The council then approved the amended resolution, authorizing the city manager to negotiate and administer task orders subject to the availability of appropriated funds and with the condition that change orders exceeding the council‑specified threshold be returned to the council. The resolution also affirms reliance on Prince George’s County’s procurement process.

The contract award is expected to move forward now that the council has approved the contract and clarified change‑order oversight. The city manager is authorized to negotiate, execute, and administer all necessary contracts and task orders consistent with the council’s amendment and applicable law.