Recreation and Park Committee to ask council for $2.5M authorization to rebid Choy Aquatic Park repairs

The Recreation and Park Committee recommended Monday that the City Council increase the city’s spending authorization for repairs to Choy Aquatic Park to $2.5 million and rebid the maintenance contract after two sealed bids returned at roughly $2.4 million, officials said.

Mr. Titterton, who presented the update to the committee, said the February resolution had authorized up to $1.7 million but that both bids opened May 13 exceeded that amount and were “well above” the state’s 10% bid threshold, preventing acceptance of the proposals. He told the committee that MSA Architects prepared the design and bid documents and that the recreation board has unanimously recommended raising the authorization to $2.5 million so the project can be rebid and remain on schedule.

The project scope presented at the meeting includes pool-shell joint repairs and recoating, substantial pump-house and electrical work including installation of variable frequency drives (VFDs), replacement of the baby pool heater, replacement of structural canopy columns at the entrance, recoding and repainting of drop slides, and replacement of interior and deck lockers. Mr. Syler, who explained the technical scope, said the facility is 22 years old and several components typically last 15–25 years.

Officials identified several specific cost drivers: joint replacement came in about $200,000 over the original estimate; electrical work including VFD installation added roughly $150,000; fencing and steel material costs were higher than expected; and there are relatively few subcontractors who perform specialty aquatic work, which pushed market prices higher. “Both bidders were very close in their bids,” Syler said, a signal officials took as evidence that the bids reflect market conditions rather than idiosyncratic pricing.

Committee members discussed funding and timing. Titterton said any increase would require a reappropriation and coordination with the auditor’s office to bring the additional funds to council for approval. Officials said MSA’s memo indicates the work could be rebid and completed between the end of the 2026 season and the start of 2027 if authorization is increased.

Members also debated potential operational offsets, including a proposal from Miss Hickman to ask the recreation board to study a resident/non-resident fee structure that would preserve resident discounts while charging non-residents more. Staff warned such a change could create administrative hurdles because most passes are sold online and front-desk staff are often part-time, but the committee asked the recreation board to review feasibility and report back.

Public commenters urged caution and safety assurances. Steve Anderson criticized the accuracy of the original estimate, calling an approximately $800,000 increase “embarrassing” and urging review of how the bid package was prepared. Brandon Bass, who identified several area pool mechanical failures in recent years and said his daughter was affected by a past incident, urged that any repairs include modern fail-safes for chemical feed and circulation systems to protect swimmers.

The committee voted unanimously to move the recommendation to City Council to increase the authorization to $2.5 million and rebid the project; the recommendation does not itself appropriate funds. Next steps include the council consideration of reappropriation and any rebid of the work; staff said they plan to collect residency zip-code samples this summer to inform any future fee changes.

The committee adjourned without further action.