Odessa City Council unanimously agreed during their Tuesday work session to pay a Midland-based company $105,000 to oversee an erosion control project at Memorial Gardens.
City council is expected to officially vote to hire Onyx Contractors, LLC of Midland to tackle the project during their regular council meeting next Tuesday.
Councilwoman Detra White first questioned if council should instead consider hiring the second highest project bidder, Hawkins Construction for $109,552 to complete the job because they are based in Odessa. The city originally estimated the project would cost $282,629.
Odessa Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton said the owners of Onyx Contractors reside in Odessa, even though their company is located in Midland. Onyx has also done a considerable amount of work for the city and has a proven track record.
Patton said the project would address a problem with the drainage culvert under 42nd Street that enters Memorial Gardens near the northwest corner of the park site.
The swift current flowing through the culvert into the holding pond area has eroded the soil around the footings of the west pedestrian bridge, Patton explained. The project would encase the bridge footings with a concrete wall and protect the footings from further erosion.
“It’s not in immediate trouble,” Patton said. But addressing the issue now will prevent the erosion from becoming a bigger, more expensive problem in the future, he added.
The City Council agreed with a recommendation by city administrators to award a new 2-year bank depository agreement with BBVA USA for $69,328. The city has been using BBVA USA since 2016, city officials said.
Onyx Contractors was also selected by council to replace metal roofs on pavilions and restroom building at Woodson Park and pavilion at Floyd Gwin Park for $43,835.
