Hyde Park supervisor says low bidder will be disqualified, vows Hackett Hill pool won’t cost taxpayers

Hyde Park Town Supervisor Alfred Turiani said the town will disqualify the apparent low bidder for the Hackett Hill pool project after the company failed to meet required post-bid obligations and has not responded to repeated requests.

"We need to disqualify the apparent low bidder for a lot of different reasons," Turiani said, listing post-bid requirements such as a payment and performance bond, insurance, a schedule of values and documentation of long-lead items. "There are post bid requirements per the contract. This is typical contract law." He said MJ Engineering documented the town's outreach and that the contractor did not reply.

Turiani told listeners that council members were notified and that the town held a special meeting on June 26 at 10:00 a.m., which was posted at least 72 hours in advance to comply with the open meetings law. "We have no other alternative but to terminate this contract," he said, framing termination as the town's next step; the transcript does not record a formal council motion or vote on termination.

On funding, Turiani said the town applied for a "swims" grant for Hackett Hill (referred to in the remarks as Tanahide Park for Hackett Hill) and was awarded $1,000,000. He said a required 20% match will be provided by the recreation commission and emphasized there are "zero zero" taxpayer dollars involved. "That means no taxpayer dollars is utilized in this project for the upgrade and the necessities that need to be done to the Hackett Hill pool," he said.

Turiani provided the town's current cost picture: he said the apparent low bid is $107,000 less than the next bidder, and that the town expects to pursue the bid bond to recover about $37,500, leaving an approximate $60,000 difference. "We're looking at a $60,000 difference," he said, and added that he expects the project to be completed within budget without asking for additional town funds.

Turiani invited residents to call with questions and said staff would pursue bond recovery and the contract termination process. The transcript does not show a recorded council vote on the termination or on any formal award to an alternate bidder; it records the supervisor's statements describing the town's intended next steps.