Salina City Commission Rejects Revised Bid for Jerry Ivy Memorial Park Improvements

Salina City Commission Rejects Revised Bid for Jerry Ivy Memorial Park Improvements

The Salina City Commission voted Monday to reject a revised bid for improvements to Jerry Ivy Memorial Park, opting instead to rebid the project with separate components.

The commission had previously postponed a decision on the project in December when the initial bid came in significantly over budget at $1.8 million. The revised bid from Smoky Hill Construction LLC reduced the cost to approximately $1.5 million by modifying some elements of the project.

However, commissioners expressed concerns about the reduced scope and higher-than-anticipated costs. They decided to separate the project into components, with the splash pad as the base bid, the water feature as an add alternate and the law enforcement memorial as a separate bid.

Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hammond presented the revised bid, which included reductions to the spray ground, water feature, and memorial areas. These modifications represented cost savings of about $315,500 from the original bid.

During discussions, commissioners debated the merits of moving forward with the revised bid versus rebidding the project. Concerns were raised about the removal of certain elements like seating and landscaping, as well as the overall cost compared to the initial budget expectations.

The commission ultimately decided that rebidding the project in separate components would allow for more flexibility and potentially better pricing. They directed staff to prepare new bid documents focusing on the splash pad as the primary element, with the water feature as an optional add-on.

The decision means the new splash pad at Jerry Ivy Memorial Park will not be completed for the upcoming summer season as originally hoped.

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