The Cape Girardeau City Council rejected eight bids Monday for renovating the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course because all the bids were almost 20 percent higher than the project's estimated cost.

The lowest bid was $1.76 million from Duininck Golf, a subsidiary of the Prinsburg, Minn., construction firm Duininck Co. That bid was $264,000 more than the $1.5 million cost estimate. The highest bid was $2.6 million from Niebur Golf, a Colorado Springs, Colo., firm that specializes in golf course construction.

The golf course project would have been the first major park improvement financed by the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in April. The bids came in higher than estimated, parks director Dan Muser said, because the city hoped a slumping construction market would bring favorable bids for a project expanded beyond the idea sold to taxpayers.

The golf course was originally slated to receive upgrades that included bent grass and advanced irrigation systems for the greens. The plans submitted to bidders included reconfiguring some fairways to enhance the golfing experience.

The council's actions Monday will send the project back out for a new round of bids. The project will be scaled back to its original dimensions and alterations to the fairways will be made using park personnel, Muser said.

In other action, the council heard a lengthy discussion of how to set up a city advisory board that would study energy use and pollution by city activities. Pushed by members of the Southeast Missouri Climate Protection Initiative, the advisory board would set goals for reducing energy use and emissions and make recommendations.

"If we can take steps in the right direction, it can serve as a role model for the region and can provide education programs to help others take appropriate steps to improve our collective futures," said Alan Journet of the coalition.

The council discussion focused on whether there should be a no-cost rule on what the panel could recommend and whether any members could be appointed who, like Journet, live outside city limits. Councilman John Voss said the residency requirement was "a hill to die on," while other members were more flexible.

The city needs such a board to back up its promises for voluntary action that helped Cape Girardeau County avoid designation as an area polluted by ozone, Mayor Jay Knudtson noted. "We owe it to our citizens," he said.

The council also heard from Margaret Grant, 72, who was trapped in her mobile home for days after the recent ice storm because her landlord would not clear the mobile home park roads. The city does not clear private roads, but city attorney Eric Cunningham suggested that an ordinance requiring snow and ice removal in private residential areas could be considered.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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