Polk City council rejects bids for regional park phase one and directs staff to rebid

Russ Correll, owner of Graphite Construction, answered an extended round of council questions about his company's litigation history, pending owner claims and subcontractor relationships as part of the council's review of bids for regional park phase one. "I'm the owner of Graphite," he said during the meeting and described several pending owner cases and sub‑lawsuits while emphasizing that owner suits represented a small share of his firm's volume.

Council members probed specifics: Correll described three ongoing owner disputes (a condominium structural issue, a large DMACC project with many RFIs and change orders, and an Oskaloosa project involving pool construction). He told the council the subcontractors proposed for the Polk City project were firms he has used for many years and that none of those subs carry litigation that would affect the city's project.

Several council members said they were uncomfortable awarding a contract without greater assurance. A motion was made, seconded and approved by roll call to reject all bids and rebid the project. Council asked staff to explore options before rebidding, including whether to split the work (building and site) and the potential to retain a construction-management firm to provide owner-side oversight; staff said rebidding will require a material change to the bidding documents to comply with procurement rules.

The motion to reject all bids passed on roll call; staff will coordinate with the city's engineer and return with options and a recommended timeline for rebidding.