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Weslaco opts for $2.2M budget target for Boys & Girls Club after higher architect estimate
Summary
Commissioners said they will not accept an architect estimate of about $4.4 million for the Boys & Girls Club rebuild and favored keeping the project within roughly $2.2–$2.3 million; staff recommended issuing bids and using value engineering if needed; a payment from the club was rejected by the bank for a mismatched amount.
At the July 1 workshop, commissioners and staff discussed the planned rebuild of the Boys & Girls Club and a disagreement over the project's estimated cost.
The chair said the commission would not accept an architect estimate that rose from about $2.2 million to roughly $4.4 million and that the city should proceed constrained to the original $2.2–$2.3 million target. "We're gonna reject that, and we're gonna stay with the 2.2, 2.3," the chair said.
Staff (Bennett) told commissioners the $4.4 million figure was an architect estimate and that the next step is to solicit competitive bids; if bids exceed the commission’s budget cap, staff will ask the design team to "value engineer" the project to reduce costs. Staff added the club has an approximately $1.7 million federal grant that will contribute to project funding.
Commissioners also discussed a payment issue: the club tendered a check that staff said was rejected by the bank because the numeric and written amounts did not match. "We are pending because the bank rejected that check due to the numerical and the written amount not matching," said Rosie, the city staff member handling the payment.
What happens next: staff recommended going out for bids and returning to the commission with actual bid results; if bids exceed the local funding target, staff will pursue value engineering or additional fundraising. Commissioners discussed possible local fundraising and confirmed the anticipated site adjacent to the existing gym.
The board did not take a final procurement vote at the workshop; bidding and verification of the club’s payment were left as immediate follow‑up items.
