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After low-bid math errors, Bernalillo awards Calle Del Norte waterline contract and ratifies seasonal hires; pool near completion
Summary
The council awarded the Calle Del Norte waterline contract after the apparent low bidder's submission contained math errors; it also ratified seasonal hires for lifeguards and camp aides, ratified a court clerk hire and heard a pool progress update indicating inspections and a likely fill next week.
The Town of Bernalillo awarded the Calle Del Norte waterline replacement contract at the May 26 meeting after its engineer found the apparent low bid contained arithmetic errors.
Consulting firm Molzen Corbin reported that Total Contracting Services, Inc. submitted a low bid of $181,200 (excluding gross receipts tax) at bid opening but the submission included two math errors that produced a corrected total of $213,200. Molzen Corbin determined the next responsive bidder was H.O. Construction, Inc. with a base bid of $195,670 (excluding tax) and recommended awarding the job to H.O. Construction. Council approved awarding the contract in the amount of $213,200 to H.O. Construction, Inc., by unanimous roll-call vote.
Council also ratified the hiring of Adrianna Santillan as the town’s Court Clerk and approved the seasonal hiring of six lifeguards and nine Camp Coronado aides for the recreation program.
Recreation Director Michael Kloeppel provided the council a construction update on the municipal swimming pool: “We are hoping to open very soon. The Construction company has finished pouring all the cement work. They finished this morning and it looked amazing. … We have the inspections coming from the State Environmental Department, so we're hoping to fill the pool next week.” Kloeppel described accessibility and safety concerns for older participants and said staff are exploring temporary removable steps while they continue recruiting water‑aerobics instructors. He added that the existing pool lift is not operating and repairs would be costly.
Why it matters: The bid-award decision resolves a procurement irregularity and allows a public-works water infrastructure project to proceed. The pool update signals imminent reopening and explains short-term accessibility steps being considered.
Sources: Molzen Corbin bid evaluation letter, Recreation Director Michael Kloeppel’s remarks, and town meeting minutes.
