The Pine Bluff City Council voted Monday to accept the original low bid to resurface the gym floor at Chester Hynes Community Center despite protests from the mayor, who had already re-bid the project and asked for more time to research the responses.
Sports Court of Arkansas was the original low bidder at $41,520 for an interlocking type of plastic flooring that comes in pieces for easy removal in the event that repairs are needed. This was one of the qualities Parks and Recreation Department Director Angela Parker cited in explaining why research conducted by Parker and Community Center Director Laura Hildreth had led them to select it as the best product.
In the second round of bidding, which concluded Monday, four companies responded, including Sports Court. None of the other companies offered a bid for the interlocking type of flooring. Instead, they bid on hardwood floors, roll vinyl floors and seamless pad floors, the latter of which is what is currently installed at Chester Hynes.
Three of the bids in the second round of bidding were less than the $41,520 bid from Sports Court. The lowest was $28,397 for roll vinyl flooring. However, all three of the low bids came from the same company, Sport Floors Inc., and they each were $23,000 to $8,800 less than the next lowest bidder in each category.
Alderman Thelma Walker and Alderman Wayne Easterly both made comments that the bids seemed suspiciously low and could suggest problems with the quality of work.
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Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr. acknowledged that the end result would likely be the selection of the original low bid, but said making the decision Monday without further “due diligence” would be “premature.”
Alderman Glen Brown, who cast the sole vote against accepting the original bid, agreed, calling the decision “hasty.”
Redus argued that accepting the original bid without first identifying reasons to justify selecting it over the lower bids from the second round would open the city up to potential lawsuits.
Alderman Wayne Easterly said that it was instead Redus who had opened the city up to lawsuits by putting the project out to bid a second time, which had revealed the original low bid to the public and given other companies a chance to undercut the original low bid. In previous articles, Parker and Alderman Bill Brumett have agreed with those statements.
Brumett also said Monday he simply agreed with the Parks Department leadership that the flooring was the best for the project.
In asking for more time Monday, Redus specifically requested that the other bidders have time to set up samples of the different flooring types for public works coordinator Larry Matthews, Parks and Recreation Department employees, Parks and Recreation commissioners and aldermen to inspect to determine which type of flooring would be best. He asked that Matthews give a recommendation, the Parks and Recreation Commission make a recommendation and the Finance Department locate funding sources before the City Council held a final vote.
Several aldermen argued that process would delay the project so it could not be finished by the time school is back in session. Redus disagreed.
Alderman Steven Mays said the original bid had been conducted correctly and had been brought before the council by the normal procedure, so he questioned Redus’ motives for interceding in the matter.
“Mayor, you are holding this floor up because you are mad at [Parks and Recreation Department Director Angela Parker] because of all that stuff going on at the department,” Mays said.
“That is absolutely incorrect sir,” Redus said. “And I absolutely wish you would not make comments of that nature.”
“That’s out of order,” Brown said.
“That floor should have been done already, Mayor Redus,” Mays said. “You’re holding up the children over there from being on that floor playing basketball.”
“Sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Redus said.
Asked after the meeting, Mays declined to comment as to whether he was referring to events surrounding the mayor’s wife, Trudy Redus, who was hired by the Parks Department Commission in 2010 despite objections from Parker that the hiring presented a conflict of interest that could potentially affect her ability to supervise Trudy Redus without the potential for retaliation from Mayor Redus.
On April 28, Trudy Redus had an accident in a Parks Department vehicle and did not take a drug test after being instructed to do so by Parker, who recommended she be fired. In the end, the commission opted to suspend Trudy Redus for two weeks without pay.
The Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Department solicited bids for the gym floor as part of an ongoing project to improve the Chester Hynes and Merrill community centers. A total of $61,824 has already been spent improving Chester Hynes, and Matthews said Monday he predicts an additional $105,622 will be needed to address the needs at the building, including the gym floor.
Both Parker and Mays have referred to the condition of the gym floor at Chester Hynes as “dangerous” and urged that it be fixed as soon as possible.
On Monday, Parker also said she believed the parks leadership should have more of a say in the improvements. She said they have not been allowed to have input on things like paint colors and that one contractor told Hildreth he had been instructed to only speak about the project with Matthews, who works out of the city Economic and Community Development Department.