Monticello aldermen agreed to seek other options for newrestroom facilities at Atwood Water Park after rejectingconstruction bids for a second time.

The town received two bids Tuesday, for $144,444 and $128,000,but both were deemed excessive by aldermen.

“We’re not trying to build the Taj Mahal of restrooms,” saidDistrict One Alderman Jerry Goode. “We just want to provide thebasic facilities.”

The low bid came in at $3,000 less than those received when thetown first sought a contract for the construction.

However, aldermen and the town engineer had revamped thecontract and the requirements for the facilities in an effort to”significantly reduce” construction costs, said Mayor DavidNichols. He suggested aldermen reject the bids.

“They’re still way out of line,” he said.

Nichols said he used the time between the two bid openings tostudy possible alternatives in the event secondary bids also provedtoo high. He suggested aldermen consider purchasing a renovatedbuilding that can be bought as a kit or wholly constructed andplaced in the park.

In preliminary pricing, Nichols said he found what he felt was asuitable renovated building for $35,195, although other optionsexisted for the aldermen to review.

The renovated restroom facilities come with porcelain fixtures,he said. The town could order the building without fixtures or paythe company to install stainless steel fixtures.

Aldermen have said numerous times in previous meetings theywould prefer stainless steel fixtures for the public restroomsbecause they are more durable and easier to maintain.

Aldermen rejected the bids and will review their options withthe renovated building for a discussion planned for the nextmeeting June 7.