The timing wasn’t good when Killeen officials solicited bids for construction of the new $5.2 million Bob Gilmore Senior Center last year, so they’ll try again in February.
“We didn’t really hear a lot of comments of why, other than the timing,” City Engineer Andrew Zagars said during a City Council workshop on Tuesday. “December is probably one of the worst times of the year to actually bid a project because of the holidays. There’s limited staffing and a lot of things going on.”
The Bob Gilmore Senior Center on East Veterans Memorial Boulevard was razed in March 2022.
“Initially, the Bob Gilmore Senior Center was planned to be renovated, but the preliminary structural assessment revealed significant structural deficiencies, and operations were suspended in February 2019 due to safety concerns,” according to the fiscal year 2022 capital improvement project for the property. “City’s consulting architect completed a needs assessment and developed (a) conceptual floor plan.”
The City Council a year ago approved a professional services contract with Randall Scott Architects of Richardson for $543,825 to design what was then a renovation project.
It “was budgeted in the 2021 capital improvement program,” according to a staff report. “Professional services agreement for design phase was approved by City Council (on Jan. 26, 2021).”
On Tuesday, Councilman Jose Segarra requested an update on the project.
“Getting this out, getting it in February is probably the ideal situation and the ideal timing to get things bid,” Zagars said. “By the time we get bids in ... I think we’re looking at, right now, August of (2024) to have everything fully completed.”
The new senior center — an extension of the Rosa Hereford Killeen Community Center — is expected to include an aerobics room, billiards room, banquet hall and rooms for classes.
“This is a high-priority project as indicated by City Council,” according to the 2022 capital improvement project.
Bids were advertised on Nov. 6, 2022, and Nov. 13, 2022, and a pre-bid meeting followed on Nov. 14. But no bids were received when they were due on Dec. 1, the staff report shows.
“One of the things that we are waiting on are bids to come in,” Mayor Debbie Nash-King told the Herald following Tuesday’s meeting. “Right now, our seniors are in the Lions Club Senior Center. A good problem is, we’re running out of space because senior citizens are coming out and participating in our activities. And the city of Killeen really focuses on our seniors.”
The re-bid timeline provides advertising on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12, with a pre-bid meeting scheduled for Feb. 23. The deadline to submit bids is set for March 9.
Kelly Snook, the city’s executive director of recreation services, told council members on Tuesday the city has “the good problem of having a high attendance and high activity level at the center.”
She said that about 859 seniors each day attend the facility.
“It is tight at this time, and I’m not aware of anything we can do to alleviate that,” Snook said. “But I would definitely bring forward any ideas that we might have to expand our space.”
The budget for the project is about $5.2 million, according to city documents.
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