Council awards Civic Center splash-pad and veteran niche wall contracts; Garfield Park foundation bid sent to first reading

Parks and Recreation staff recommended awarding the Civic Center splash-pad replacement contract to Zerbe Construction LLC after a competitive bid process. Project bids received Oct. 21 ranged from a low of $1,704,296 to a high of $2,080,231.21, and the low bid was recommended as conforming to contract requirements following review by the city’s parks department and the engineering firm Burgess and Knippel. Council moved to suspend the rules and approved ordinance 25-OD-092 by roll call.

Council also approved ordinance 25-OD-093 to purchase and place a veteran niche wall memorial at Mentor Cemetery. Staff said three bids were received for the project; the low bid from Jim Belding Monuments LLC was $165,823.78 and was found to conform to requirements. The project includes 14 columbaria with approximately 48 placements each (staff cited "just over 670" total placements) and a planned target for a Veterans Day 2026 readiness window due to an 8–9 month fabrication lead time.

By contrast, council held ordinance 25-OD-094, a contract for the Garfield Park splash park bath house foundation, for first reading after Law Director Joe Zeman reported uncertainty about how a change in subsurface conditions and an addendum affected the advertised scope and why the low bid had effectively doubled compared with the original cost estimate. Zeman said he needed additional source information before he could sign off, and the council voted to move the ordinance to first reading so staff could validate the procurement record.

Why it matters: The awards advance major parks and cemetery projects the city expects to have in service for recreation and veterans’ memorial needs, while the law director’s request on Garfield Park highlights procurement and contract-scope review procedures that the council asked staff to clarify.

Contract details and outcomes at the meeting:
- Ordinance 25-OD-092 (Civic Center splash pad): low bid recommended Zerbe Construction LLC; council approved and awarded the contract.
- Ordinance 25-OD-093 (Veteran niche wall): low bid recommended Jim Belding Monuments LLC ($165,823.78); council approved and awarded the contract.
- Ordinance 25-OD-094 (Garfield Park foundation): lowest bid reported $252,365 to Zerbe Construction LLC; Law Director requested more documentation; council moved the ordinance to first reading rather than final approval.