The Town Council has approved an amendment to a professional services agreement with Elite Civil Construction for guardrail repair and maintenance in Fountain Hills.

Public Works Director Justin Weldy told the council the original agreement allows for expenditures of $50,000 per year through a five-year term to a maximum of $250,000. The amendment removes the annual limit but keeps the maximum in place for the five-year term.

The agreement was challenged by Council Members Brenda Kalivianakis and Allen Skillicorn. They felt the amount was in excess of what is needed and wanted a bid process.

Weldy explained that some professional services agreements the Town has are “piggy-backed” with agreements reached by larger cities, in this case the City of Tucson. Weldy said the city opened a competitive bid process and awarded the bid to Elite Civil Construction based on that process. The contractor has agreed to extend the pricing Tucson received to the Town of Fountain Hills.

Weldy said as a small Town that does not have a lot of this type of work, it is difficult to get even a single contractor to respond to a bid request, let alone several to create a competitive process.

Kalivianakis said she questions the need to upgrade guardrails within the Town, citing research she had done with a Minnesota consultant. She said cosmetic damage does not need repair and there is no requirement to upgrade guardrails to meet updated standards.

Kalivianakis was referring to a capital item in the Town budget to upgrade guardrails in the community.

Weldy said the contract being considered by the council was unrelated to the capital program. The capital funds are attached to grant funding and most of the guardrails in town have been in place for 30 to 50 years.

The Elite contract is for repairs needed when the guardrails are struck and damaged. In most cases insurance will reimburse for that damage when the motorist can be identified, according to Weldy. He said the history of the past few years indicates expenditures are considerably less than $50,000 a year.

The council voted 6-1 to approve the amendment with Skillicorn dissenting.