Seven bids received for planned Prospector Park drainage channel improvements have been rejected because they were above the city of Apache Junction’s budget for the work.
The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously Dec. 17 to reject proposals received for work at the park, 3015 N. Idaho Road.
The 2025 budget provides $300,000 for the project. Bids ranged from $551,982.70 to $949,144, according to city documents.
“Bids were opened on Nov. 13 and we received seven bidders, which we think is really awesome, but unfortunately they were way over. If they were a little bit over, I think we would probably be reconsidering finding the money. But we budgeted $300,000 based on some of our numbers early on last year in the design process,” Parks and Recreation Director Liz Langenbach told the council. “The staff recommendation is that we reject the bids at this time and that we go back out. We think we can do a little more work with the engineering firm to reduce some of the scope.”
Extra riprap — stones or rubble — costing about $150,000 could be removed from the project, she said.
“And a lot of that is really stuff that we could add later. It’s stuff that’s really going to help the impact during a really huge storm,” Langenbach said.
The project is for a wash that wraps around the softball fields at the park, she said.
“Just over time that wash and the amount of water that we’re receiving in some of those big storms was really causing us a lot of headache out here at Prospector (Park). Our guys, after a major storm, we would end up having all of the sediment that would wash from the desert all onto the fields. That was causing us a lot of problems on those softball fields, requiring a whole lot of extra work from our guys,” Langenbach said.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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