By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

The city of Pelham will rebid a project to expand the practice ice rink at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena after City Council members said there was a “major disparity” between the two original bids for the project.

The Pelham City Council voted during its Feb. 4 meeting to reject two bids for the project after city leaders said the original bid specifications were not specific enough.

“The disparity between the two bids we received was so large, it was obvious the specifications were not as good as they could be,” Pelham Mayor Gary Waters said. “We could have worded it better.”

The council rejected a $129,911 bid from the Hulon Construction Company and a $74,895.65 bid from the Stafford Building Company.

Both companies bid on a project to demolish a portion of the Civic Complex’s western wall to allow for a prefabricated building to be added to expand the practice ice arena’s capacity. Civic Complex Director Danny Tate said the city already has the prefabricated building in its possession.

“The high bid would give us everything we need, but it’s above the bid specifications,” City Council President Rick Hayes said. “The low bid met the specifications, but it wouldn’t give us what we need.”

The expansion is necessary to bring the Civic Complex up to the specifications required for the Division III collegiate hockey national championship, which will be held at the complex in 2015.

“We are not up on a time wall, so it doesn’t make sense for us not to do this right,” Waters said.