By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members have unanimously agreed to postpone action on a contract for the Paul Poag Theatre Rehabilitation Project.
City council members voted 7-0 Tuesday to delay action on a resolution to authorize and direct Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez to award a contract in the amount of $2,529,960 to Jose Ernesto Salazar LLC doing business as JESCO for the Paul Poag Theatre Rehabilitation Project.
When the item dealing with the theater contract came up on Tuesday night’s agenda, City Secretary Mari Acosta asked Mayor Al Arreola if he wanted to go into executive session on the item. When Arreola indicated he did, Acosta read the executive session justification, then read the heading of the item, “a resolution to authorize and direct the interim city manager to award a contract in the amount of $2,529,960 to Jose Ernesto Salazar LLC doing business as JESCO for the Paul Poag Theatre Rehabilitation Project.”
Arreola noted the time as 7:30 p.m. and announced the city council would go into executive session.
The council returned from executive session at 8:07 p.m., and Arreola announced no action had been taken while the council was behind closed doors.
Acosta then re-read the heading of the agenda item.
When Arreola called for a motion, Councilman J.P. Sanchez said, “Mayor, I’d like to make a motion that we postpone the awarding of this contract. We have questions that need to be addressed, and I’d like to postpone it to the following meeting.”
Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus gave the second.
The council then unanimously approved Sanchez’s motion to postpone.
After the vote, Arreola commented, “To the public, this is not over. This is just a small delay. So just hold on.”
According to information included in the council packet, Purchasing Agent Luis Menchaca noted the city had extended the request for qualifications several times and had finally received three RFQs, one from JESCO and the two others from MAPCO and AR6 Construction & Engineering. JESCO is the only Del Rio company that bid on the project.
JESCO was also the company recommended by the city’s consultants on the project, Able City.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
