Pahrump will narrow scope of proposed splash pad after rejecting two construction bids

Town officials have rejected two initial bids to construct Pahrump’s first-ever splash pad, saying they will reexamine the scope of the project and solicit new proposals.

The splash pad is planned for construction at Simkins Park. Project bids were a topic of discussion at the Nye County Commission’s May 21 meeting, where Nye County Purchasing and Contracts Manager Honey Strozzi explained why neither could be accepted.

“The town of Pahrump is seeking a qualified company with splash pad experience, as well as experience with working with municipalities,” Strozzi told commissioners, who were hearing the item in their capacity as the governing board for the town of Pahrump. “We received two bids… one from CG&B Enterprises in the amount of $1,070,032 and one from Oasis WaterPlayGrounds Inc. in the amount of $250,000. So right off the bat you can see that there is a huge discrepancy in pricing.

“The bid from Oasis WaterPlayGrounds was within budget and the design looked like an acceptable option,” Strozzi continued. “However, several of the minimum requirements were missing, such as no bid bond, no Nevada State Contractors’ license, no Nevada state business license, no Pahrump business license and no subcontractor qualifications were included.”

This left the bid review team with CG&B, which did meet all of the bid requirements. However, that company’s bid came in well over the budgeted amount of $250,000 for the project, which is receiving funding from a $50,000 T-Mobile grant, $5,000 from Pahrump Mothers Corner and the remaining amount to be covered by the town’s capital improvement fund.

“Because of that, we are recommending both of the bids be rejected,” Strozzi stated.

Following the closure of the bidding process, Strozzi noted that she’d been contacted by another contractor, who explained they did not participate in the bidding due to the highly general nature of the scope of work, which only specified a splash pad size of 1,500 square feet. Therefore, she suggested more precisely defining that scope of work and going back out to bid.

Commissioner Debra Strickland made the motion to do just that and the motion passed with all in favor.

For more details on the Simkins Park splash pad project see previous coverage of the subject at pvtimes.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com