The Yuma City Council has decided to not move forward with the Yuma Swimming Pool renovation due to rising costs.
The decision came during the council’s regular meeting last week. All seven members were in attendance, Mayor Tim McClung, Mayor Pro-tem Jerome Benish, Terri Frame, Dan Baucke, Marc Shay, Zach Diaz and Vanessa Dischner.
The council had initially earmarked $1.2 million for the project in the 2024 budget. Last month it ended up approving, somewhat reluctantly, a bid for $1.76 million from Hackel Construction.
However, the total contract had risen to $2.14 million when it came time to approve the contract agreement with Hackel during last week’s meeting. The motion to approve the agreement was defeated on a 1-6 vote, with Shay the only one voting in favor.
The municipal pool, nearing 60 years old, has been closed the past two summers due to a myriad of infrastructure issues. The city was able to budget $1 million to get back in service through grants, federal COVID funds and Conservation Trust Fund money, with the goal of it reopening in May 2025.
The city contracted with Miller and Associates to put together the project’s scope, and approved Miller’s proposal of $1.2 million about seven months ago, agreeing to some upgrades that pushed it above the initial $1 million.
It finally got to the point last month to select a bid. There was only one from Hackel Construction for the $1.66 million. The total cost rose since then to more than $2 million.
That was enough for the council.
“This has gotten out of hand,” Benish said. “I am super frustrated.”
He questioned why it took so long to come back with a bid, noting there was only one option. He questioned if the city did not follow up enough Miller’s Larry Steele during the process.
Steele was at last week’s meeting. He said projects like this one takes time before getting ready for bid, such as coordinating surveying, engineering and finish the drawings to put out to bid.
He said the higher price simply is a matter of costs rising since earlier this year, adding that a project cost is just an educated-guess estimate until it actually goes out to bid. He also noted a slide was added to the project, which increased it by $200,000, but that was being paid for through donations.
Steele said there are required electrical upgrades to meet new standards, and Colorado requires an emergency shutoff for the pumps.
“We are updating quite a bit more than we originally thought we had to,” he said.
Benish questioned if Miller and Associates had done all its homework before taking on the job.
McClung said that it seemed in the summer the city was told multiple contractors were interested in the project. Steele said his firm had talked to several when putting together the plan, but in the end Hackel was the only one to submit a bid.
Baucke said he was reluctant to spend more than $2 million on an old facility, and would rather put it toward a new pool. He said it would be better to at least tear down the current bath house and put up a steel building.
Frame said she felt the council was back up against the wall. She asked if the council had options.
City Attorney Kathryn Sellars said the council is not obligated to move forward at this point, adding the city could re-bid the project but it would be delayed again.
Shay said he recalled conversations when it was mentioned it could cost $2 million, so he was not surprised. McClung said there was talk about a splash pad at City Park and the pool renovations that would be more than $2 million. McClung said he understands the economy changes but a 100-percent increase would be difficult for the city to handle financially.
A motion then was made to approve the agreement with Hackel Construction, which lost by the 1-6 vote.
McClung then asked where the city should go from that point, noting the city already has put significant funds into the project. He said the city should look into having a conversation with the committee trying to get a recreation center complex built in Yuma, and maybe find a “win-win” for everyone.
It was mentioned the city and council could at least revisit the splash pad idea as something to have for next summer.
Frame suggested the city revisit the situation in December after the 2025 budget is completed. There seemed to be a consensus.
The bottom line is Yuma will not have a swimming pool again for the summer of 2025.