PLACENTIA : High Bids Postpone New City Hall Floor

A plan to replace the floor at City Hall and the Police Department has been delayed after bids submitted by contractors were far higher than expected.

City officials were also disappointed that only two bids were submitted.

The existing floors have large clay tiles that city officials say could be dangerous.

“The floor is definitely a problem for people in wheelchairs, using crutches and walkers,” said Director of Public Works Chris Becker. “It’s also a problem for mothers pushing strollers and people wearing high heels.”

The city last year budgeted $31,553 to tear out the tiles and replace them with a smoother surface. In requesting proposals, the city asked for bids on three kinds of tile: granite, porcelain and vitrestone.

The lowest cost estimate in the bid package for the various surfaces was $41,239, and the highest was $89,507.

“We think we can redo the bid specifications to get more bids,” Becker said.

Though Becker cited concern for disabled people as a factor in the decision to replace the floor, one member of the city’s Committee on the Disabled has criticized the plan as an unnecessary expense when the city faces another round of budget cuts.

Dale Goodman, who uses a wheelchair, said the city should find a temporary solution to the problem and not replace the floor until the budget situation improves.

“If the city is so broke it needs to raise the utility tax, this shouldn’t be considered a priority,” Goodman said.