Minutes - Council - 10/11/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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now would ensure that the project is done early in the spring but noted that the project could be rebid in January and the work could still begin in early spring. City Administrator Ulrich stated that a large window was bid to allow the contractor flexibility, which is where the best bid prices are usually gained. He believed that the project could be rebid but then could end up in the similar situation as the last case where people know what competitors are going to price. He believed that the Council should accept this bid. Councilmember LeTourneau stated that if the bids are rejected that would tell the contractor that the City does want to do the work but is not interested in paying that much money. He stated that if there is seasonality involved in the pricing, that still has not been answered. He stated that the project will disrupt the flow of the use, regardless of the time of year that the project is completed because the park is constantly busy. Councilmember Williams referenced the timing of the future improvements and asked if the Council should consider the timing of the future improvements in addition to the seasonality. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood explained that if the comments are regarding the trail connection, the City would first need to find a willing property owner. He appreciated the staff of City Engineer Westby in designing the plans, noting that the plan for the parking is better than he envisioned noting that when they are able to go out in an exit it will not be a big investment. He believed this to be a very good plan. City Administrator Ulrich stated that if the Council believes this is too much for the project, that would be reasonable to say that this is too much. He stated that the bids are fairly close together and therefore an accurate representation of the project cost. Councilmember LeTourneau appreciated the comment that the bids are close together, which means that this is market value. He stated that he would be more comfortable if the seasonality question had been answered. Councilmember Riley stated that there are a lot of things that go into a project and seasonality would be one of those aspects. He noted that the only person that was off on the bid was the City Engineer. He noted that recently the City Engineer's estimate has been high and therefore it would lead him to think that perhaps the estimate is off from the engineer. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that this project will solve a lot of the parking problems at the park site. He noted that during the off season there will be work done, which would not be done should the project be delayed. He noted that the planning and some construction could be completed this fall and during the winter season and would help prevent delays in the spring. He noted that the placeholder in the CIP was $350,000 and therefore this is a good value. Mayor Strommen stated that because there was a long timeline provided, the City did not force the seasonality issue. She noted that the seven bids were tightly clustered and therefore she believes it to be an accurate representation of the market costs. City Council / October 11, 2016 Page 9 of 10