The overview
Presented by Chis Otto, geographic discipline leader for Colliers Engineering and acting Shavano Park city engineer, the discussion went over cost increases, timelines and bidders' work history with the city.
“Total bids range from $4.865 million up to $5.6 million, with E-Z Bell being at $5.6 million. J3 and D&D were relatively close to each other at $4.865 and $5.02 million. Our opinion of probable construction costs back in January was $4.345 million, so we are about a half million more than we had anticipated,” Otto said.
This price increase was primarily due to the cost of the 54-inch pipe, which was estimated to cost $410 per linear foot, but has been quoted as $732 per linear foot.
Additionally, Otto said J3 Company meets the criteria of having three past projects with the city, such as the Ventura Boulevard reconstruction in 2021, the Mustang Vista Phase 3 project in 2021 and the Evers Road Drainage and Roadway Improvement Project in 2019. The company also submitted a one-year timeline and would begin July 1.
City Manager Bill Hill said $3.8 million of the project costs will be covered by a federal grant and the remaining costs will be covered by the city’s 2022 bond.
After the presentation, Otto recommended that the city council award J3 Company the contract.
The outlook
Prior to approval, Alderman Pete Miller expressed reservations about moving forward with the contract without performing further due diligence.
“[I have] concerns about the complexity, [potential] safety issues and the size of the project because we are going to be keeping traffic open on De Zavala,” Miller said.
In light of these concerns, Miller proposed an alternative motion for the road advisory committee, which was established in 2023, to review the project ahead of the May meeting. Miller also stressed that his motion was not intended to scuttle the project, but rather to add an extra layer of due diligence in light of the size and cost of the project.
To discuss the motion further, the city council went into executive session.
Stay tuned
After the executive session, the city council voted to move forward with the project within the proposed one-year timeline.
