City manager: Sports Park roof work requires contract rise after unplanned penetrations; public sought procurement clarity

A public commenter at the Sept. 17 Imperial Beach City Council meeting asked whether a contract for replacing the Sports Park roof had been publicly bid and why staff was now requesting an amendment to increase the contract value.

Resident Leon Benham requested clarification during public comment: “I know that there's perhaps things that you cannot comment on, but in the future, if I could get a clarification on AE, because it seems as if there was a contract issued for the replacement of the roof at Sports Park and then it seems they are amending that contract, for not to exceed amount. And so what the questions I have was this put out to public bid initially, and what are the changes that happened that now require us to spend more money?”

City Manager Tyler Fultz replied that the additional charges are tied to unanticipated work. “The additional work is for additional penetrations that were made in the roof that were not part of the original bidding process. So we're asking the contractor to do additional work. Because of that, we're now asking for an elevated contract to do the work that the city is requesting,” he said.

The exchange took place during the public-comment period before council moved to the consent calendar and did not include a formal vote on the contract amendment at that meeting. Council members did not provide further details about total contract amounts during the Sept. 17 session; staff indicated follow-up would be available through the city manager’s office and consent-agenda documentation when the item is considered by the council.