Bids for Shawnee Community Centre project exceed estimates by almost $300,000

Cape Girardeau leaders plan a Thursday groundbreaking for the new Shawnee Community Centre, but angry city council members on Monday demanded answers about why bids for the project exceeded estimates by almost $300,000.

"This is supposed to be something where everybody is sitting around the campfire singing Kumbaya," Mayor Jay Knudtson said to Dan Muser, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. "Instead, due to the architect's failure, we've got a terrible situation on our hands."

The project to build a new community center and additional sports fields at the Shawnee Sports Complex near the intersection of West End Boulevard and Highway 74 is one of the big construction jobs supported by a sales tax approved by voters in April 2008. The plan, when the tax was approved by voters, was to devote $4.46 million to all the work needed at the location.

Some work, including asphalt for parking lots, has already been completed and some money is set aside for equipment in the community center and other items. When the city advertised for bids, it had about $3.35 million available for the construction project.

The lowest bid was for $3.11 million for the basic project, from Sides Construction. But due to mistakes Muser blamed on architect Ron Grojean, lights for three new softball fields were left out of the basic project. When the amount Sides asked to install the lights -- $480,000 -- is added in, the company's bid is at least $250,000 more than the funds available.

"Why the hell wasn't that in there?" Knudtson asked. "It is lights."

"I can't tell you," Muser said. "I am not very happy with the performance of the architect."

At first, Muser was recommending that all the bids be rejected, that the specifications be rewritten and new bids solicited. But council members instead asked that he try to negotiate with Sides and bring Grojean to the council's next meeting, on June 1, to answer questions.

"We have to manage the scope to deliver those things," Ward 1 Councilman John Voss said. "We need to deliver on those projects."

Even if the cost of the project can be successfully negotiated, Muser said numerous items considered optional in the initial bidding phase will be cut. Those items include concrete walkways connecting new softball fields, asphalt parking lots in some locations, additional lighting and an emergency generator for the community center.

"Something is going to have to be left out, obviously," Muser said.

Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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Pertinent addresses:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1157 S. West End Blvd., Cape Girardeau, Mo.