Reprint from the Progress Times - July 13, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

CITY OF MISSION
Council argues over bid price

By Kathy Olivarez

A bid for construction of restrooms, fishing piers and a concession stand at Bentsen Municipal Park where bids were higher than expected for a second time caused the Mission City Council to consider whether the bids were too high and should be bid three times.

The low bid by Celso Gonzalez Construction in the amount of $274,923.47 was not quite $10,000 over the amount budgeted for the project.

At the July 9 City Council meeting, Councilman Leo Olivarez said that he wanted to know why the bidder the first time who bid $125,000 for the job was not hired. He was told that the bidder did not have the specifications and when asked for his bid bond, reportedly asked what a bid bond was.

Olivarez asked if a bid bond was necessary if the man was capable of doing the job. He was told that the purpose of a bid bond was to assure that funding was available to see that the job is completed.

Olivarez argued that the amount was too high for restrooms, piers and a concession stand.

Mayor Beto Salinas said that it was closer to the estimated amount and was still a savings over the other bids in the first bid round.

Councilwoman Norie Garza said she felt it was unwise to rebid a third time. When discussion ended the council voted three to one to approve the bid. They accepted the bid from Celso Gonzalez Jr.

Discussion over a requested C-3 zoning for property 100 feet west of Conway Avenue on the North side of Mayberry resulted in the request being changed to C-2 before approval. Zonings in the area are mixed and include C-3. However the site is relatively small and C-3 allows many uses that would not be appropriate for that small of a location.

The site is to be used for sale and servicing of water softeners. The C-3 was requested to allow sales. However the council decided it would be best to allow a conditional use permit for sales at the location rather than open the door for a host of undesirable activities on the site should the proposed business be discontinued.

A conditional use permit to allow a drive-thru service window for a convenience store to be located at 210 N. Conway Avenue was approved.

A preliminary plat approval was granted to the First Assembly of God Church subdivision #2 to be located on property 1500 feet west of Glasscock Road along the north side of 22nd Street. A new building for instruction will be built.

The council voted to accept 5.79 acres adjoining lots 152, 161, 162 of John H. Shary from United Irrigation District. The site, known as the Wilson Drain Ditch is south of Expressway 83, halfway between Glasscock and Stewart Roads.

In other action, the council heard a status report on the Housing Assistance Program. Jo Anne Longoria, Community Development Director, told the council that Phase I of the 2006-2007 budget had been completed at a cost of $221,650. Phase II started in May at a cost of $225,500 and Phase III was bid in June at a cost of $223,260 for a total of $667,410.

Longoria said there were 89 applicants for the program. Of those 15 were denied and four withdrew. One case was a woman who is currently living with her daughter as her house has been designated 90 percent deteriorated. Because she is no longer living in the house, she is no longer eligible to get a new home. The council was concerned about her being taken off the list since her house was in such poor condition that she could not live in it. Longoria said that since she no longer lived in the house, she no longer qualified and there were many families living in equally poor housing.

The council approved a grant adjustment to the 2006 State Homeland Security Grant in the amount of $5,622.34 to be used for regional response team equipment purchases. The adjustment brings the total of the 2006 grant to $61,978.34.

The council voted to accept a grant from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Fire Department Emergency Program Grant in the amount of $17,000 for a firefighting skid unit.

The council granted authorization to solicit bids for boring services for the Business 83 project. The city is extending a 12-inch water line from Schuerbach Road to Expressway 83. The project entails the relocation of water infrastructure for the future widening of Business 83 by the Texas Department of Transportation.

The bid for parking, paving and drainage improvements at Bentsen Municipal Park were awarded to Mission Paving, the lowest bidder, at a cost of $714,714.

The council approved an agreement with Siemens Water Technologies Corporation for purchase of sodium chlorite for the water plants in the amount of $90,000.

The bid for water and sewer line materials for the Shary Road project was granted to H-D Supply in the amount of $126,406.58.

In a final action the council was told that the seven to eight-year-old girls Pinto softball team from the Mission Boys and Girls Club qualified for national tournament to be held in Slidell, Louisiana July 11-15.