Coralville will restart the search for a contractor to build its $54 million recreation center, though the decision isn’t expected to affect the construction timeline.
The Coralville City Council opted to relaunch the process for a “construction manager at-large” on Tuesday, Feb. 10, two weeks after the council narrowly denied Davenport-based Russell Group Development & Construction to lead construction over concerns about transparency.
City Administrator Kelly Hayworth estimated that the entire “construction manager at-large” process, including interviews, reference calls, and firm construction cost estimates, could be completed in about a month. The initial search took several months the first time around, when staff suggested the Russell Group.
Under Iowa law, cities can select a contractor to “provide consultant services” during the pre-construction phase in collaboration with the design team, guaranteeing the contractor will build the project at a price presented to the city.
The new Coralville Recreation Center & Natatorium is expected to cost around $54 million, including $48 million for construction. The project is being financed through bonds, which will be paid with revenue from the city’s local option sales tax, effective July 1.
The new rec center, which will be built just east of the current facility in S.T. Morrison Park, will include three basketball courts, three pools, a walking track, and a weight room.
One of the three pools will be used for the swim meets at Iowa City West and Iowa City Liberty.
Transparency issues create pause
Coralville city staff scored a rival bid from Miron Construction higher throughout the process, which was less than Russell’s bid. But negative references for Miron vaulted the Russell Group to the lead.
The reference stage did not include a scoring system, something Parks and Recreation Director Sherri Proud said at the council’s Jan. 27 meeting that she regretted. City councilors then held a lengthy discussion and questioned Proud about how Miron was not selected.
The city is reopening the contractor search to all applicants. Hayworth said Iowa law requires cities to post a public notice, freezing the process for 13 days before the city can take any action.
“I would hope that we learned our lesson and continue to be transparent [and] have accountability for, really, not just big projects like this, but for anything moving forward,” Councilor Hai Hyunh said on Feb. 10. “I think that’s going to save us a lot of headaches.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Coralville restarts search for contractor to build $54M rec center
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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