City’s Hidden Cove Golf Course Club-house Project To Be Rebid

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   Bids for placing siding on the Hidden Cove golf course clubhouse were rejected Tuesday evening as the Holbrook City Council asked that the project be re-bid to include new windows, and to allow a volunteer to submit a proposal.
   Golf course superintendent Jim Mobley told the council that siding for the clubhouse has been in the budget for the past several years, but the project has never moved forward. According to Mobley, it costs about $3,000 to paint the clubhouse exterior, and it needs to be done every two to three years. He also told the council that birds are nesting in the open eaves at the clubhouse, causing problems, and he believes that vinyl siding would save the city money in the long run and eliminate the bird nest problem.
   Bids for siding the clubhouse ranged from $19,887 to $28,044.95, including materials and labor. Mobley told the council that he was concerned that the lowest bidder did not bid enough materials, since the three other bidders all calculated the same amount of materials, and the lowest bidder calculated signifi-cantly less. He recommended that the city award the contract to Jaquez Construction, the second lowest bidder at $24,900.
   Councilman Kent Darris noted that he had been approached by a local contractor who offered to side the clubhouse for free, if the city would purchase the materials. Following the council meeting, Darris noted that the contractor offering the work is Ray Hudgens.
   Mobley noted that the contractor was advised he could submit a bid, but he did not.
   Darris asked why a contractor would submit a bid for doing work on a volunteer basis.
   Following a discussion of the bids and the cost of materials, the council unanimously voted to reject all bids and rebid the project, with new bids to include a full scope of work, including an option of installing new windows in the clubhouse.
   In other action March 17, the council:
   * Approved the canvass of the city’s primary election.
   * Approved an intergovernmental agreement to be used in joint activities with other governmental agencies that makes each agency liable for worker’s compensation claims only for its own employees.
   * Approved the expenditure of up to $15,000 to purchase rubberized oil for street repairs.
   Interim Public Works Director Tim Kelley told the council that the oil would be used to seal cracks and prevent damage caused by moisture.
   * Scheduled a tour of the fairgrounds and a work session with the Navajo County Fair Board for Tues-day, April 14, with the time to be determined.
   The next regular city council meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at city hall.