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Here is the article from the on-line villages news today:

AAC delays Santiago project over nearly $200,000 price difference
January 7, 2015 By Meta Minton

The old El Santiago Club buildilng.
The Amenity Authority Committee voted 4-1 Wednesday to take additional time to reconsider requests for proposal for the demolition and reconstruction of the El Santiago Recreation Center.

The vote came after discussion as to why the District staff recommended Mark Cook Builders whose proposal for the project was nearly $200,000 higher than the contractor who came in with the lowest price.

Cook’s proposed price is $1,774,608.

Emmett Sapp Builders came in with the lowest price of $1,584,000.

In all, seven contractors submitted proposals.

Sapp appealed directly to AAC members in their meeting Wednesday morning. He said he understood that members might be concerned as his proposal was so much lower than the recommend bid from Mark Cook Builders.

Sapp offered to explain his price to AAC members. However, he was told there was a process for protest of the request for proposal recommendation, but the AAC meeting was not the proper forum for that protest. Sapp was the only one of the seven contractors at the meeting.

District Administrative Operations Manager Diane Tucker said the recommendation was made by a five-member panel of judges using score sheets working with a variety of criteria including references and past work history.

Villages resident, including Dick Curtis, rose to question the process and suggested the process was fixed.

“C’mon folks,” Curtis said. “It’s not transparent.”

However, District Manager Janet Tutt countered that all District documents are offered for public inspection and that the process is one used widely throughout local government.

AAC members, concerned about the public’s perception of the work, opted to tap on the brakes.

“I have heard so much from residents about the costs of the project. I think if we awarded a bid that was 10 percent higher, there would be a concern,” AAC member John Wilcox said.

He made a motion, seconded by AAC member Don Deakin, to table the matter for 30 days pending further review.

Deakin resurrected the controversial history of the project which included the purchase of the El Santiago Club restaurant building. In 2013, the AAC paid the Developer $350,000 for the restaurant building, only to later discover the building was in poor condition and would have to be demolished. The demolition is part of the proposal that was tabled in the 4-1 vote.

Deakin, Wilcox, Carl Bell and Lowell Barker voted in the majority. AAC Chair Ann Forrest cast the lone dissenting vote,

If you google her name you might find the on-line e-news,