By LYNETTE SOWELL-STEVENS
Cove Leader-Press
It took two votes, but the Copperas Cove city council approved a contract with Seneca Construction Management, LLC for the Athletic Storage Building Project, in the amount of $454,000. Three other bids came in at $534,040.00, $589,876, and $616,856.
Initially, a motion was made to reject all bids and then rebid the project. That motion failed, 3-4, with Rita Hogan, John Hale, and Jack Smith voting to reject the bids and Christina Strohfus, Howard Hawk, Dale Treadway, and Vonya Hart voting against rejecting the bids.
Discussions about the bid and the building included questions about reaching out to local contractors, and if the project could be rebid for something lower, or if something could be taken out of the project.
Several councilmembers questioned the cost of nearly half a million dollars for a 4,000-square-foot “shell,” but Parks & Recreation Director Jeff Stoddard explained that the scope of work for the building includes the pad, electrical and HVAC.
“It’s not just a shell. It’s a full building,” he said. “If you know anything about a military supply room, that’s what it will look like inside. The building itself is a turnkey building with a fenced-in yard as well.”
Gwen Maupin with Seneca Construction was present in the audience and commented to the council on the project. She said her business is woman-owned, that she lives in Kempner, and visits the park in Cove with her grandchildren.
“This project is near and dear to my heart. When we’d seen the solicitation for this project, it’s not a huge project. It’s on the small side. But where this building is going, there’s a ton of trees, dirt work, and the foundation that goes under this is what’s really driving the price. If there was a different location, the price could come in a lot less expensive,” Maupin said. “But because of the amount of concrete, the amount of dirt work where it’s located, and there’s a sizable fence, a metal fence, going all the way around the project. All of those things drive up pricing.”
The vote followed to accept the bid and was not unanimous. passed 4-3, with councilmembers Christina Strohfus, Howard Hawk, Dale Treadway, and Vonya Hart voting to approve the contract, and councilmembers Rita Hogan, John Hale, and Jack Smith voting against it.
The athletic storage building was approved as part of the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan as recommended by the Quality of Life Advisory Board. According to the agenda item, the current storage facilities have degraded over the years. The building will also be used to store the holiday decorations for the Christmas-in-the-Park event.
The council also awarded a Professional Services Agreement with Halff Associates, Inc. for the design, bidding and construction phase services for the Veterans Ave and West Avenue D Roadway Improvements Project, in the amount of $259,209.
This project is the first prioritized project that will begin after the city began collecting the street maintenance utility fee in January 2026.
The council also held a Public Hearing and approved a conditional use permit requested by Mai-Lee Coddington for Cooper Corporate Housing to have a short-term rental at 1242 Lexington Dr.
Coddington was present at the meeting and explained to the council that this home will not be something like an AirBnb, but rather be marketed for transitional military housing, government contractors, or traveling nurses.
“What I am looking for is stays of three to four weeks, I won’t be listing this for two three days. I’m planning on running this myself with my husband. There’s not going to be a property manager. I’m not going to try to pay a cleaning service and a maid in there every two or three days. This is for a longer term,” Coddington told the council.
Also on Tuesday, the council appointed Anthony Martinez and Ashley Lyons to the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation board of directors. This is a reappointment for Martinez and Lyons is new to the board. Their terms are for three years.
The council likewise voted to increase the City’s contribution rate for employees to the Texas Municipal Retirement System from 6 percent to 7 percent.
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