HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Sept. 6, 2023) – What direction the City of Holland wants to take with the operation of the Heeringa Holland Civic Center Place was determined somewhat on Wednesday night.
Highlighting the biweekly business meeting of the Holland City Council was a decision on whether to extend and renegotiate the current contract with Iowa-based operator VenuWorks, or publish a Request for Proposals that would throw open the future operations of the facility to whatever firm successfully bids for the contract. The initial deal was approved in February of 2018, with no automatic or negotiated extension in place when the agreement expires at the end of June in 2024.
The Holland Civic Center Place Board recommended the former – a two-year extension with contract modifications – while City Manager Keith Van Beek and his staff countered that common practice was to bid out at the expiration of an existing agreement or contract. On a 6-3 vote, Mayor Nathan Bocks and the majority of council members sided with Van Beek and rejected the Civic Center Place Board recommendation.
Bocks was quick to point out that Council didn’t issue a vote of no confidence against VenuWorks.
Council also unanimously approved a $31,000 contract with Mark Dykstra Concrete to construct a new cement pad for futsal and basketball courts at Riverview Park, which is being refurbished as part of the Window on the Waterfront work that includes building a permanent outdoor skating rink. No other bids were submitted for this aspect of the project.
A link to the meeting agenda and supporting documents is here.
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