GRUNDY CENTER- Tender Lawn Care Owner and Operator Pat Brown came before the Grundy Center city council on Monday night and defended his work at the George Wilhelm Sports Complex while questioning the park board’s decision to award the maintenance contract to Precision Lawn Care at a cost substantially higher than what Tender had bid.
“We have a vested interest in this town, and we always will have it. For the record, we hope that complex succeeds and continues,” Brown said. “I hope it goes at least more or in the same direction that it has in the last 20 years.”
Brown argued that contrary to figures provided at the last meeting indicating that Precision’s contract would cost the city about $30,000 more than Tender over a three-year period, the number was actually over $60,000 due to an additional $27,000 in top dressing costs.
He also acknowledged some of the complaints that had been received with regard to the complex over the 20 plus years Tender has maintained it but went on to note that not a single formal complaint had ever been documented with the city, and no fines had been levied.
“We were never once revoked, and this was never once even addressed,” he said. “If we had these complaints over all these years, and that’s the crux of us losing this contract, why weren’t we fined?”
He then told the council that due to uncertainty about how the needs at the complex would differ during the upcoming construction project, he was not sure on whether he should modify his bid to accommodate the changes. Brown read three letters of recommendation from individuals he had worked with in the past and concluded by pointing to the fact that the complex had hosted countless district and substate baseball and softball games over the years.
“They don’t just give (those games) to us because we’re popular. They give them to us because those fields are high quality,” Brown said. “We have a passion for this thing… As long as I’ve got health and breath, I’m going to be doing something for the betterment of this community and my family.”
During the council member comment portion of the meeting later on, councilmen Butch Kuester and Dave Stefl directly referred to the situation and reiterated previous criticisms of the process. Both noted that the park board, which is an elected body, does not have its own budget but makes decisions that affect the city budget. Kuester described a conversation with city attorney Seth Schroeder, who said the code was contradictory because the council is supposed to be in control of all contracts.
“If we had complaints on board, and they were not being addressed, we should’ve been issuing fines or penalties,” Stefl said to Brown. “Without that, you were unaware of things that were going on as well, and that’s not fair to you.”
Before Brown spoke, Rich Ahlberg addressed his concerns about the lawn care contract and offered his support for Tender and its owner. He also noted a lack of U-turn signage on G Avenue in the central part of downtown and speeding issues on 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Streets heading north from G Avenue where there are no stop signs.
Later in the public comment period, resident Barb Henry also took the stand to raise her concerns with the quality of water in her home, remarking that she wouldn’t even give it to her dog.
“My toilet, after I flush, looks like nobody bothered to flush it,” she said. “Something has to be done. It’s disgusting.”
Kuester responded that the city had made attempts to ice pig the lines where residents have experienced some of the worst water problems and is continuing to work toward a solution.
“We’re trying to get it so we can fix it. I don’t want you to take it that we’re not doing anything. We’re trying to do it in steps and phases,” Kuester said. “In some of the spots, we’re still getting the same complaints, so now we have to go in there.”
Leonard Stephens, who has come before the council with water-related issues before, reported that his has gotten so bad he buys bottled water for his cats and to make coffee. He also voiced opposition to the decision to award the contract to Precision at a higher cost than Tender, especially as the city is planning to raise property taxes in its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Luke Wilson of Clapsaddle Garber Associates and Mark Kuiper of Ritland-Kuiper Landscape Architects spoke to the council about the plans for the sports complex construction project. The base bid contains a new soccer field, four tennis courts, storm sewer work, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant parking stalls and paving, and they also discussed some alternates in case bids come back below the engineer’s estimate.
Wilson predicted that contractors would probably be able to work on it by the fall, and the council voted unanimously to set a special meeting for next Monday to hold a public hearing on the sports complex project. Tentatively, a contract is set to be awarded by the April 19 meeting.
Paul Eberline provided a brief update on the Prairie Ridge Housing Addition and noted that 13 bids were received for the infrastructure work, which he saw as an extremely encouraging sign. The low bid from Gehrke came in under the engineer’s estimate, and the council voted 4-0 (Rick Smith abstained) to approve the preliminary plat.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the council:
· Approved a resolution authorizing and approving a loan and disbursement agreement and providing for the issuance of $2,055,000 in sewer revenue bonds.
· Approved a resolution setting the FY2022 city budget and setting the property tax levy.
· Approved rent forgiveness for the Grundy Family YMCA through June.
· Heard a presentation from Emma Fleshner of the Grundy County Pony Express on the upcoming Easter Seals fundraiser.
