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Library Building Committee approves McMahon contract alternates, leaves pergola decision for later
Summary
The Library Building Committee voted to accept alternates 1–8 on the Mather contract for the McMahon site — advancing playground equipment and furnishings while preserving a contingency to defer the pergola — after reviewing a fresh budget worksheet showing $812,000 available across projects.
The Library Building Committee voted to accept all alternates on the Mather contract for the McMahon site, moving forward with playground equipment and garden furnishings and taking several deducts while holding a contingency to reconsider a pergola later.
The committee voted after Chair presented a recently compiled budget worksheet showing $812,000 available for the two library projects and estimated McMahon-specific expenditures of $583,850. The chair said that with other McMahon items and allowances the total projected outlay is $728,150, leaving a contingency of about $83,000 "which I think is a responsible number given what we have left," the chair said.
Committee member Mark Berman said he was not comfortable approving spending until he had the full finance Excel file showing all payments and postings, citing attorney and bond charges and duplicated Munis entries that must be reconciled. "Until I see that Excel file, which shows everything, I'm not comfortable," Berman said. The chair responded that staff and consultants have repeatedly reviewed the accounts and that the committee will pursue any discrepancies; staff agreed to follow up with the finance portal and provide supporting documentation.
Before the vote, Public Works staff confirmed they can provide and install the boulders called for in the plans, allowing the committee to accept the contractor deduct for that work. Committee members also recommended holding roughly a 10% contingency and obtaining a cost for the pergola foundation so the base work could be done now if the pergola is added later.
Chair moved the motion (recorded as "Moved by mister Ice" in the transcript) and the motion was seconded (recorded as "Patrick"). The committee said aye and the motion passed; the transcript notes an abstention was raised during the roll call, though an exact vote tally is not fully recorded in the meeting record.
Next steps: staff will circulate the finance spreadsheet and original invoice files for committee review, get a price for pergola foundation work, and proceed with contract change documentation to add the accepted alternates. The committee did not authorize additional purchases at tonight's meeting.
