Local firm awarded ramada project
Medrano blasts Pueblo for not participating in re-bid process

By NEIL YOUNG/The Daily News
Tri-State Online / Mohave Daily News

Published 6/24/2009

BULLHEAD CITY - A special Bullhead City council meeting Tuesday was not without some fireworks.

The council gave final approval to the $82.9 million city budget for 2009-10 without much fanfare.


But as council members were voting to approve a contract between the city and Henderson Framing, Inc. (dba H &S General Contracting) of Fort Mohave for the Community Park ramada project, Council Member Sam Medrano blasted Pueblo Construction for not bidding on the project.

Pueblo had forced the city to re-bid the project by taking it to court.

The suit from Pueblo followed a change order approved by city council April 7, amending its contract with Tonto Supply, Inc. to remove the restrooms from the project because of a loss in state funding.

Pueblo owner Larry Adams protested the action at a city council meeting and then-City Manager Tim Ernster denied the protest.

Adams eventually took the matter to court, arguing the city was in violation of state law. If a contract is changed from the original, it must be re-bid, said Pueblo attorneys.

Mohave County Superior Court Division 1 Judge Charles Gurtler issued a temporary restraining order on behalf of Pueblo to stop work on the project.

The city quickly reached an out-of-court agreement with Pueblo, in which it picked up $22,500 in Pueblo's legal fees and agreed to re-bid the project.

The bid under consideration Tuesday came in at $178,136 to erect the ramada. The re-bid will cost the city close to $50,000 more for the project than the original bid from Tonto Supply, according to Pawan Agrawal, Bullhead City public works director.

With the payment of legal fees to Pueblo, the additional cost comes to approximately $72,000, which Medrano called “an absolute travesty” for the city's taxpayers. In not participating in the re-bidding, Pueblo revealed its “real motives,” Medrano said.

In response to Medrano's comments, Council Member Sheila Shutts said council members should not get into “name calling.”

Meanwhile, the new contractor told the council he would like to begin work on the ramada Thursday, and assured council members the job will be done in two weeks.

In other business, Assistant City Manager Susan Betts updated the council on the status of the recruitment process for a new city manager. Ernster left office June 5 to accept the city manager position in Sedona, Ariz.

The city is hiring a professional recruitment firm. From four proposals received, city staff has decided Waters Consulting Group of Dallas would be the best fit. The firm has done work for several Arizona cities.

It offers a triple guarantee, Betts said. It will stay on the job until the city hires a candidate. If the city doesn't like any of the candidates, Waters will present a new group of candidates for consideration.

If whomever the city hires does not work out in the first year, Waters will waive its fee in recruiting new candidates, with the city owing only out-of-pocket fees.

During the second year, the replacement recruitment fee will be reduced to 50 percent, plus project-related expenses.

Waters' professional fee will be $17,500, which includes implementing an advertising and marketing campaign, extensive screening and assistance with negotiating a contract.

Project-related expenses would not exceed $7,500, including travel expenses, background checks, advertising fees, telephone fees, shipping and postage.

The general consensus of the council was the city is hiring a CEO and the job needs to be done in a professional manner.

Betts said candidates should be available for consideration by late September.

Tuesday, the council gave its final approval to the $82.9 million 2009-10 city budget, which will take effect July 1.

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