City pool bid exceeds $2 million

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

MINTON

The lowest bid for McMinnville’s new outdoor pool project is more than $400,000 what city officials anticipated, they said Monday in a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Committee.

Committee members expressed disappointment about the bids since it was previously reported pool architect Michael Manous had preliminarily estimated costs at between $1.8 million and $2.2 million.

“Has anybody told Mr. Manous that he’s got $400,000 worth of butt chewing coming when he comes to talk to me?” Alderman Rickey Minton asked. “How did he mess up 20 percent? Somebody is completely out in left field there.”

Some officials blamed higher construction materials as compared to a few months ago. They planned to meet with the low bid contractor, C&H Commercial Contractors of Manchester, tomorrow to see about lowering costs and agreed Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Donald Hillis should attend and report back to the committee.