Veterans Park amphitheater amendment prompts commission to ask staff to renegotiate higher bid

The Dade City Commission on April 14 directed staff to renegotiate a proposed first amendment to the design‑build agreement for a covered amphitheater at Veterans Park after the contractor’s revised budget increased the project price materially.

Beauregard Construction presented amendments that add a raised concrete slab stage, ADA‑accessible sidewalks and ramps, a composite insulated standing‑seam roof and related structural hardening. The contractor said those items were added after initial bidding at the commission’s request and that steel prices and added scope increased the cost.

The amendment would raise the contract from the originally approved $197,370 to $269,277.50—roughly $94,000 over the city’s initial $175,000 budgeted figure. Commissioners pressed the contractor and staff on which items were added after bidding versus what was included originally, contingency allowances, and the risk that multiple change orders could follow. "That is a serious problem," one commissioner said, citing overrun and future change orders that could be signed under the manager’s $50,000 signing limit.

Other commissioners emphasized the need for a finished product the city can be proud of and accepted that some hardening (structural supports, gutters, ADA access) would increase cost. The commission asked staff to negotiate with Beauregard to reduce the price where possible and to return with a revised proposal and clear line‑item justification before proceeding.

No final contract amendment was approved at the meeting; staff will return with negotiated options.