ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- The Robertsdale City Council accepted two bids and rejected one other at its regular meeting Monday night for the city’s proposed splash pad at Garrett Park.

After a pair of public meetings on the proposed water park, which will be located at the corner of Pennsylvania Street and Park Drive at the entrance to Garrett Park, council members voted unanimously at the Oct. 3 meeting to move forward with the proposed 2,000 square foot facility which has a $135,000 budget for 2012.

At its meeting Nov. 7, the council voted unanimously to contract with JM Dawson and Co. to provide materials for the splash pad.

The company, headquartered in Pelham with regional offices in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., will provide fixtures at a projected cost of $81,000, and will act as a consultant on the project, which will be conducted by the city’s public works department.

Council members voted unanimously at the October meeting to choose a baseball theme over railroad and farming for the facility. The company has also incorporated a bear, the local schools’ mascot, into the design of the facility.

Mayor Charles Murphy said at the November meeting that plans to increase the water pressure required for the pad, while fixing an issue with water pressure along Hammond Street, have already been completed for the project.

Murphy said a decision to use a product called cool deck, rather than rubber, cut projected costs for decking on the project in half, allowing the city to spend more money on fixtures for the project.

Because JM Dawson is a state-approved contractor, the city does not have to bid out the project, Murphy said, but with the council’s unanimous approval on Tuesday, bids will be solicited for the concrete work for walkways on the project and for the cool decking which, explained City Engineer Greg Smith at Monday’s meeting, contains pockets that trap water to keep the pad’s surface cool.

At Monday’s meeting the Council voted to accept a bid from Reynolds Ready Mix for concrete material at a cost of $78 per cubic yard for the project. Reynolds presented the only bid for the project and, Smith said, came in around the budgeted cost.

The Council also received one bid on the cool decking for the project from Cox Pools for $15,750, which was accepted at Monday’s meeting.

The Council rejected bids from Cox Pools and EJ Builders on concrete slab housing and finishing work for the project, saying that Cox Pools did not present a bid based on the bid specifications for the project, and EJ Builders did not meet the specifications or qualifications for the project, which required that bidders present examples of three similar projects.

“We felt that splash pads present specific challenges and experience with this type of project was important,” Smith said. While EJ Builders did present examples of concrete finishing projects, only one was a splash pad project.

Smith said the city would utilize JM Dawson as a consultant to use city employees to complete the project.

Plans are to have the project completed and ready to open by May 2012.

In other business Monday, the council authorized Smith to present a pair of grant applications.

First, the city will apply for a Safe Route to School grant, which, Smith said, he proposed to be used on a pair of sidewalk projects, one running from the high school to Fairground Road, across Highway 59 to the subdivision behind PenAir Federal Credit Union. The project would run approximately three-quarters of a mile.

Estimated total cost for the two projects, Smith said, is $150,000.

The city will also apply for a grant to build a bridge on College Avenue, Smith said. If approved, the grant would provide 80 percent of the cost to complete the project. Smith said the city has already budgeted engineering costs for the project.

In other business Monday, the council:

• Approved a request from Public Works Director Scott Gilbert to modify the city’s surplus list.
• Approved the use of the city’s electronic billboard to promote the South Baldwin Center for Technology’s spring plant sale, scheduled for March 22-24.
• Voted to approve Stacey McKee with Premiere Grant Consulting for use as a grant administrator.
• Agreed to help provide city water service to Under His Wings ministry, a program for teenage girls who are facing life-controlling issues. The state funded program will be located just outside the city’s limits. The city agreed to provide labor and equipment and waive tapping fees for the project, while the city will be paid for the cost of materials estimated at $4,008.