Fairhope, Alabama.
BIDDERS SOUGHT
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existing defective pad |
The city is now seeking bidders for the demolition and replacement of the less-than-one-year old splash pad at the Fairhoper's community park -- which had serious construction defects.
Because of foundation and other problems, the city had withheld final payment to the contractor, Advanced Recreational Concepts; no resolution of the has been announced publicly yet.
No drawing or rendering of the new plan has been made public, but the specifications mention a
crocodile feature,
ship's bow water canon, pirate's sloop, and a water canon -- as well as various type spray nozzles.
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bid specs |
The city council must select the winning bidder, usually the lowest; the selected contractor will have 60 days to complete the project.
Old components will be saved and possibly reused, if another splash pad is constructed elsewhere (a real possibility).
Jade Consulting Llc. developed the plan and will manage its construction.
When asked about it before Monday's Planning Commission meeting,
Councilman Burrell said he had not seen the new plan or knew it had already been let out for bids; he was not certain exactly how the project was to be financed since it was not budgeted for and is larger than the original.
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proposed 'ship bow sprayer' |
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proposed 'pirate canon feature' |
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proposed 'crocodile feature'
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proposed 'pirate sloop rain drop buckets' |
Comments
Is Fairhope capable of hiring anyone who can complete a project satisfactorily? i.e. the on-going issues with the library.
And lastly, the timing on this is ridiculous. You are going to demolish it as the weather warms and the kids will be using it? This could not have been resolved during the winter months?
The real question is: why did the council not know about it before the bid specs were let out?
Also, who came up with the new plan if the city council was in the dark?
Were all Al. Open Meetings and ethics laws followed?
Shouldn't the public have been given an opportunity for input, as with past splash pad designs?
Why is this council no longer voting to let out bids, as has always been the case? Not having the time is no excuse.
We have already warned councilman Burrell, that in the past several months the Times has noticed an alarming decline in the transparency of the municipal government: employees have to do as they are told (right or wrong) or face termination.
The cost of the secrecy to taxpayers could be high: special interest waste and lawsuits.