Three parks in River Islands will soon be getting rubberized playground surfaces instead of the engineered wood fiber surface that exists there now.

Last week, the Lathrop City Council approved a consent calendar item that formally withdraws a previous resolution that awarded the contract to install the rubberized surface at Somerston, Reflections, and Tidewater Parks – all located in River Islands – and awards the contract to another vendor.

According to the staff report prepared for the council, Frontline General Engineering Construction had previously been awarded the contract but reached out to the city requesting cancellation because of extensive supply chain delays that were going to affect the cost of the project.

As a result of the council’s action, the second-lowest bidder – G&G Builders Inc. – will be awarded a $538,854 contract to complete the work as well as a $53,854 contingency fund to bring the project to a not-to-exceed total of $592,397.

In order to offset the increase in cost associated with going with the second-lowest bid the council also approved transferring $108,215 from the city’s Measure C proceeds to cover the difference. The previous bid submitted by Frontline and subsequently awarded by the council came in at $440,165 – almost $100,000 less than the next bid submitted by G&G.

Because the council cancelled the existing contract with Frontline, the company will receive a refund for the cost of its bid bond in the amount of $44,017.

While cities like Lathrop have weathered the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic favorably, issues outside of the control of local government agencies like the availability of products being sought for public use have become a regular part of the conversation.

The Lathrop Manteca Fire District faced issues when overhauling Station 31 – the J Street location that housed the district’s administrative offices before Station 35 opened in River Islands – that were spurred by shortages and delays in the construction supply chain.

Monday’s decision by the council continues with the city’s push towards uniformity at its parks by bringing even more locations inline with what has become commonplace at the city’s larger recreational destinations – the installation of rubberized playing surfaces instead of treated wood products.

In addition to providing a cleaner alternative, the rubberized surfaces also allow children with disabilities to access portions of the playground that couldn’t be accessed previously.