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Abilene council denies $472,000 Brush Center building after council, residents say bids are too high
Summary
Council members and several residents criticized a low bid of $472,000—about $590 per square foot—for an 800-square-foot Brush Center building and related site work; after lengthy discussion and public comment, the council voted to deny the contract proposal.
After extensive questions from council members and critical public comment, the Abilene City Council voted to deny a proposed contract for an approximately 800-square-foot Brush Center building that came in with a low bid of $472,000.
Leslie Andrews, director of parks and recreation, told the council the design includes an office, break room, public and staff restrooms, storage and a lobby, plus site work to add improved vehicular ingress and egress and restroom access for residents. Andrews said the city had budgeted $300,000 for the project in the FY26 revised budget and that the low bid exceeded that amount; staff proposed covering the difference from the solid waste fund.
Several council members said the per-square-foot cost was far above commercial building norms and questioned architect choices and material selections. "For this price we could build two rebuild homes," one council member said. Council members and speakers pointed to recent local projects and to bids for housing that produced much lower per-square-foot numbers.
Multiple residents also urged the council to reconsider. Mike Thompson, a local business owner, and two other residents said the city should not accept a bid that seemed inflated and urged restraint given rising property taxes and broader fiscal concerns.
Andrews said staff had reviewed the line items and contingency allowances, noted that small projects can carry a higher per-square-foot cost because of mobilization and fixed fees, and that removing the contingency or changing roofing type produced only modest savings. She also said that re-bidding could push the schedule back about a year and might increase, not decrease, the price.
After the public hearing the council voted to deny the proposed contract. Council members who spoke said they want to explore alternatives that reduce cost or return to the drawing board rather than approve the current bid.
Next steps: Staff will consider alternative designs or procurement approaches and return with options to address council concerns.
