Conroe City Council held off on awarding a nearly $90,000 playground equipment contract for the Oscar Johnson Jr. Enrichment and Recreation Center on June 25 after council members said the proposed replacement may not go far enough for the new facility.
The details
The item came back to council after playground equipment from the former Oscar Johnson Jr. Community Center was damaged during an effort to move it to the new OJJERC. According to the agenda item, Perezidente Elite Service LLC was contracted in December 2025 to relocate the equipment, but it “sustained substantial damage due to inadequate project oversight” during removal and reinstallation. City staff said replacement was ultimately determined to be the best path forward.
Purchasing staff solicited bids Feb. 5 and received nine proposals. Staff recommended Cunningham Recreation for $89,999.99, saying the proposal was within budget, scored high for play value and engagement, and closely matched the existing equipment.
However, Shawn Davis, assistant director of community services, told council the city does not currently have insurance money secured to offset the replacement cost.
“Following the last council meeting, staff conducted a follow-up review and determined that the insurance reimbursement from the vendor's insurance carrier will not be available for the damaged playground equipment due to the policy exclusions related to workmanship and property under the care, custody, or control of the insured,” Davis said.
Davis said the city could still pursue recovery through its own insurance carrier, but no insurance reimbursement has been secured and should not be counted on to cover a portion of the cost. She said the proposed award also includes about $42,000 that would have otherwise gone to the vendor but has been withheld and applied toward the replacement cost.
A closer look
The recommended Cunningham option included a play structure with shade, assembly, geotextile fabric, engineered wood fiber, plastic timber border and an ADA-accessible ramp, according to the bid documents.
Davis said the current playground area is limited by a drainage swale on the north side and light pole foundations on the southeast and west sides. The total available area is about 50 feet by 90 feet, but required fall clearance reduces the usable playground footprint to about 38 feet by 78 feet.
Staff also showed council several options beyond the $89,999 recommendation, including adding stand-alone features through a change order, re-advertising with a larger budget or upgrading the playground surfacing to poured-in-place rubber. Davis said the rubber surfacing could cost up to about $34,800 and would require about $23,000 more than the current proposal, but it could reduce annual mulch replacement costs over time.
Council members questioned whether the proposed equipment was enough for the center, especially as the facility serves summer camp and after-school programming.
Council member Ken Blevins said he had visited the site and did not think the replacement was an “apples to apples” match.
“I think that we need to go back and possibly look at the growth we have,” Blevins said. “I feel that what you currently have may be undersized for the amount of kids in the camp.”
Blevins also questioned why the city landed on the roughly $90,000 option when the department’s budget had about $185,000 available. Davis said the recommendation came from the request for qualifications process and was based on an apples-to-apples replacement approach.
Other council members echoed concerns that the proposed structure felt underwhelming compared with the former playground.
Davis said staff was trying to respect the existing budget but could return with a larger plan if that was the council’s direction.
Council ultimately voted to defer the item, meaning the bid award was not approved June 25.
What’s next
The playground item is expected to come back to council for future action after staff reviews next steps, which could include a larger playground plan, a phased approach or a different budget direction.
During council inquiry time, several other items were also requested for future agendas, including a review of current and past council rules, street closures, water well and water system updates, and rules around council members participating in executive sessions by Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Mayor Duke Coon also asked staff to begin looking at options to repair or replace the Owen Theatre sign, though he said that item could return when staff is ready.
