Swimming pool project bid comes in way over budget

The Yuma City Council went ahead an approved a bid for the swimming pool renovation project despite it being more than $500,000 over budget.

The action came during a special meeting for the bid opening earlier last week, following a budget workshop. All seven board members were in attendance — Mayor Tim McClung, Mayor Pro-tem Jerome Benish, Dan Baucke, Terri Frame, Zach Diaz, Marc Shay, and Vanessa Dischner.

Council members voiced frustration when the one bid received, from Hackel Construction out of Nebraska, came in at $1.766 million, when the initial budget was set at $1.2 million in February. The bid was presented by Larry Steele of Miller & Associates, the city’s pool project consultant.

Benish asked why it took seven months to get bids, noting the delay is costing the city quite a bit of money. Steele said that the whole process takes time, including engineering and finalizing the scope of work.

Steele said the figure could be reduced to about $1.5 million if the slide, overhead lighting and painting the exterior of the bathhouse are deleted. The proposed new gutter system also could be taken out of the project and replaced with skimmers.

He said it simply is a case of prices going up since February which prompted Benish to ask why it took so long.

Hackel Construction’s representative told the council that his team was expecting to be at the $1.2 million figure, until the numbers from sub-contractors started coming in in recent days. He said the increased prices were spread all over the scope of the project.

McClung said the council is going to take a big hit in the community if this project doesn’t get done. He said if it cannot be done by May 15, 2025, the council might as well start over with the process.

Steele said the bid was good for 35 days, and he could work with Hackel Construction in trying to bring down the cost.

The Hackel representative said his team feels the May 15 date is doable, but it also partly depends on the winter weather.

Baucke finally made a motion to accept the $1.766 million bid in order to get the project going. It was passed unanimously.

The council will discuss where to come up with the extra funds during the current budget planning for 2025.

The pool has been closed the past two summers due to a myriad of issues.