Anna Maria commissioners held an emergency meeting July 3 to halt negotiations with Taylor Engineering and begin negotiations with McLaren Engineering for the city pier engineering project.
Taylor Engineering’s estimates for the cost to engineer repairs and obtain permits for repairs to the city pier ranged from $475,000 to more than $500,000, Mayor Dan Murphy said, more than three times the $150,000 the city anticipated for the project.
“It goes beyond what the city can afford,” Murphy said.
Commissioners unanimously voted to move next to McLaren Engineering — the third-ranked bidder — and allow Murphy to begin a third round of negotiations.
In 2015, a marine survey found the Anna Maria City Pier was in need of repair.
In December 2016, Murphy put out a request for proposals to engineer repairs and obtain permits for remodeling and construction.
Three companies — Wantman Group Inc., Taylor and McLaren Engineering — responded to the bid. Murphy, along with city clerk LeAnne Addy and city planner Robin Meyer, ranked the three companies in order to negotiate.
Under Florida law, a municipality must negotiate with only one bidder at a time.
The relationship with WGI was cut short by the city following two months of delays obtaining information about the extent of the project.
In addition, Murphy said the expenses, at roughly $253,000 were too high to justify. However, Taylor Engineering’s bid came back twice as high as the bid from WGI.
Murphy said Taylor’s prices were “higher across the board,” due to a more detailed proposal and a more thorough plan to complete the project, including the potential that the pier may be more extensively damaged than the 2015 study found.
The scope of the project includes engineering plans for repairs to the pier and preparation of permits for the construction. The price tag does not include construction or building costs.
The city now moves on to its final option. Murphy will seek McLaren’s estimate of the scope and cost of the project and bring it to the commission for consideration.
If the commission approves McLaren’s response, the engineering process can proceed.