Parowan council directs staff to negotiate RFP terms and develop a city option for flood‑basin sediment removal

Parowan City Council on Feb. 26 directed city staff to develop a city option and negotiate terms with the lone RFP respondent for sediment removal and restoration of the city’s flood control basin.

The lone proposal, from JP Excavation, estimated the work could take “up to 7 years,” a timeline council members said is far longer than the 18 months the city had hoped for. Council member Dan Jesson summarized the bid as noting “duration driven by demand, possibly up to 7 years,” and said the city would need contractual milestones and off‑ramps if the contractor failed to meet progress targets.

Why it matters: clearing the basin is intended to improve flood control, provide material for city projects and assist groundwater recharge. Council members said the city also needs assurance that usable native material will be available to the public and to city crews without extra cost.

Council discussion focused on three tradeoffs: schedule, how much processed or native material the contractor would make available to the city and the public, and whether a city‑run option should be prepared for comparison. Jesson said the bidder proposed maintaining “a 500 cubic yard native material stockpile in a public zone,” but other contract terms—such as how much material the contractor would supply beyond that—were vague. The bidder also proposed a price model for material beyond that amount; council members asked staff to clarify whether the $14‑per‑ton figure cited in the proposal applied broadly and to which materials.

Several council members urged negotiating benchmarks so the city can evaluate progress and exercise an off‑ramp if the contractor does not meet milestones. “We would need benchmarks because we would need to have some way to decide how well it's going,” Jesson said.

Council members also asked staff to prepare a city option showing costs and timelines if the city performed the work itself, to provide a direct comparison to the bid. A council member summarized the council’s direction as “work on both” tracks—negotiate with the bidder while preparing an internal option—so the council could make a fully informed contract decision.

The council moved to direct staff to tighten the city option and negotiate with the bidder on terms; the motion carried on a voice vote.

Next steps: Staff will return with negotiated terms and cost comparisons for the council to consider in a future meeting before any final contract is executed.