Council Questions Pleasant Run Park Payouts

Unapproved expenditures and a lack of information made readily available to council members were among the complaints lodged by city council members against the process used to build Pleasant Run Park in Bolivar.
“I agree with the park, but there is a right way and wrong way to do it. And this is the wrong way,” said Bolivar City Councilman Julian McTizic of the almost 30-minute discussion of the efforts on Stevens Road in the Country Club subdivision of Bolivar.
The dissension followed a 6-1 vote in favor of the expenditure of up to $50,000 more toward aspects of the park project. The approved outlay will be used for restrooms and a disc golf course for the park.
“We spent $9,800 on gravel for the park and we spent $3,000 moving the restroom to the park,” adding that he was under the impression anything more than $2,500 needed to be approved by the council and that the funds were being spent from the Parks and Recreation budget. “I wasn’t aware that was the process.”
Mayor Stevens answered that only two gravel sources were close enough to deliver and that the city had gone with the least expensive in each case. Stevens then said the relocation of the restrooms was also at a great savings to the city.
“We tried to get people to bid on it (moving the restrooms) but he (Logan House and Building Movers) was the only vendor that moves houses in this area.
“We’ve got a great park and it’s going to be great if we ever get through with it,” added Stevens.
Councilman Larry McKinnie questioned the legality of not bidding out projects when it is believed there is only one vendor, directing his question to the city attorney, who affirmed that the $2,500 limit was in effect but an exception in the statute did allow for a single source supplier to be used without going through the bidding process.
“It would be nice if we know this beforehand. We are here to represent our people. We need to be able to explain what is happening. And when only a certain group of people know, I feel blindsided,” said McTizic. “I’m asking for transparency on the front end.”

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