Saratoga Rejects Current Bids for Restroom Construction

JULY 22, 2025 |

Photo – Drawing of restrooms for Never Forget Park – Courtesy Town of Saratoga

After receiving higher-than-expected bids, the Saratoga governing body decided to delay plans to install restrooms at Never Forget Park.

For the past 17 years, the Town of Saratoga has been working to create a public green space to honor the life of Sergeant Tyler Pickett, who was killed in action on June 8th, 2008, while serving in Iraq. However, the project’s scope expanded over the years to include everyone those who gave their lives in service to others, including the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The project is now called Never Forget Park.

After numerous setbacks, construction officially began last fall with the installation of concrete curbs and gutters at the intersection of Pic Pike Road and East River Street. The next phase of the project is to install Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms.

During the May 20th Saratoga Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Emery Penner presented the final Never Forget Park restroom design, created by Sheridan-based Evergreen Dwellings. Penner said the restrooms have been redesigned to increase the number of available stalls, including those that meet ADA guidelines.

The governing body authorized Penner to request contractor bids using Evergreen Dwellings’ design plans.

At the July 15th Saratoga Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Emery Penner said he received three bids for the restrooms at Never Forget Park, all of which were higher than he anticipated. Penner recommended not awarding the contract to any of the companies at this time.

Shepard Construction, Western Plain Logistics, and Savery Creek Enterprises each submitted bids to construct the Never Forget Park restrooms. Penner said Shepard Construction’s offer was immediately rejected because it did not comply with the town’s bid requirements. Western Plain Logistics bid $480,000 for the project, while Savery Creek Enterprises submitted the lowest bid, at $358,212.50.

WLC Engineering, the company overseeing the entire Never Forget Park project, recommended awarding the contract to Savery Creek. However, Public Works Director Penner said the lowest bid was still too high. Penner said he and designers from Evergreen Dwellings worked to simplify the restrooms, making them less expensive to construct.

Penner recommended rejecting the restroom bids and issuing new requests for proposals in the fall, when contractors are expected to have lighter workloads and offer more competitive pricing. The Saratoga Town Council unanimously approved the plan. Penner will wait until fall to open bidding again for the Never Forget Park restrooms.