After years of delays, Hill Park in Madison may finally get the restrooms city leaders have wanted to install there.
The Madison City Council accepted the low bid on the project during a July 8 meeting. E&E Construction submitted a low bid of $263,242. Crown Service Contractors submitted a bid of $507,580.
Innova Contracting Group submitted a bid for $63,023.79 but only included the project's flatwork. According to Senior Planner Monica Callahan, the city had considered splitting up work on the project if it was too expensive. Innova assumed they could submit a bid for just the flat work.
Callahan also said Crown Service had more experience, but City Manager John Klimm felt some city oversight would ensure a quality job from the low bidder.
Local firms were notified of the project, but none submitted bids.
Mayor Fred Perriman said he was pleased the city could finally proceed with the restroom project, which was on the “backburner for a long time.”
A study is underway to consider funding for restrooms at other city parks.
Callahan said work on the restrooms should begin within 45 days of a completed contract being signed. The project will be funded by SPLOST revenue.
The City Council also approved a grant application that will be submitted on behalf of the city’s Greenspace Conservation Commission at the request of new city planner Jill Releas.
Trees Across Georgia made the grant available, and it will be used to fund the removal of invasive species from Madison’s many green spaces.
According to city documents, volunteer and city labor are not adequate to address the initial invasive species mitigation, which involves removing an estimated half-acre of invasive species from nine acres of conservation land by July 2025. The target parcels are two acres in President’s Park, two acres of Horse Branch Preserve near the Valley Farm Trailhead, and five acres in the Silver Lakes Preserve.
The removal is projected to cost $27,595, with the grant providing $13,650. The city has also decided to donate most of its surplus electronic equipment to the Morgan County Board of Education.
The council also discussed text amendments to the city’s zoning ordinances concerning industrial districts but decided not to take action on proposals until a future meeting.