Attempts to fix the rose arbor in San Marino’s Lacy Park are still underway.
The rose arbor has been up for discussion by the San Marino City Council for months now with two real solutions – repair it or tear it down and rebuild. A new steel structure was estimated to cost about $500,000, too much for the city’s budget.
A repair job is currently being proposed. Some of the work includes replacing the vertical 12×12 posts and diagonal support beams that are beyond repair, as well as painting the whole arbor.
“Keeping the structure the same as it exists now means we don’t have to get into a redesign,” said San Marino City Manager John Schaefer.
The bid package has already been sent off to 17 people or firms, but not one bid has come back yet, he said.
“It’s kind of a weird project in a way,” Schaefer said explaining why there may not be any bids yet. “Whoever takes the job will practically have to disassemble the arbor to get to the damaged beams that need replacing.”
Some who have denied the job have said it’s too much work, it’s too far away, or they can find something that’s less of a “pain in the butt.”
It is unknown exactly how much everything will cost. A donor has spoken to Schaefer stating he will provide funding if the bid is reasonable.
If the donor agrees to the bid, city council will have to accept the contribution and award the money and the contract during a city council meeting. If it comes back too high, council could debate whether they want to continue with the repair or replace the whole thing, Schaefer said.
Ideally, a bid will materialize over the next week, the donor will be consulted, and then it will come before city council sometime in April. However, the process could take longer.
