During the Miami Town Council's April 27 meeting, in which Mayor Gil Madrid proclaimed May 10 through 16 National Police Week, a heated discussion took place regarding the police department HVAC project.
“Our police department suffered through last year's horrendously hot summer,” Madrid said. “We can't expect them to endure another version of the same torment.”
There was just one answer, he continued: finishing the project, including equipment purchase and installation, no later than this May.
The mayor's determination to forge ahead put him at odds with Town Manager Alexis Rivera, who said required electrical upgrades to the police station had to be finished first, and Town Attorney Joe Estes, who warned of procurement issues.
Madrid argued that the electrical and mechanical work could be done together, and an HVAC system would cost $15,000 to $20,000, which the town's contingency fund could cover. That figure, he said, was based on his own experience, talks with contractors and an AI inquiry.
Rivera said the town was moving forward.
“We're taking the step necessary to put the police department in the place it should be,” he said. “The duct system is old and we need to fix it.”
“Because our budget is limited, we need to bring [in] grants . . . to update the infrastructure that was not updated before,” he said, adding that not going through the procurement process would be a negative on the town's audit. “We're going to follow the law; that's what we do.”
Estes pointed out that wherever the money came from, grants or town funds, procurement rules and laws had to be followed.
“You can't throw those out just because you want something done,” he said.
After the discussion, Rivera offered to bring in a contractor for the electrical work, using the state procurement system, and to have a quote ready no later than May 6.
Councilman Phil Stewart recommended holding a special meeting to approve that quote, avoiding further delay on the project. He also suggested a clause for the HVAC contractor, which would say the contractor “will be provided a panel with this specification in this location, please quote accordingly.”
This, said Stewart, would compress time by “starting the quote clock on all the mechanical work.”
Rivera said staff could follow that suggestion.
Madrid then moved to proceed with the electrical work, using the state procurement system and with the May 6 quote deadline.
The council approved his motion 4-0, with Vice Mayor Sammy Gonzales, Councilman Dan Moat and Councilman Don Reiman excused from the meeting.
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