Correspondent photo / Amanda Smith Work is ongoing on the new salt dome for the city of Cortland. The dome, which is located at Willow Park, is nearing completion after being stalled for several months. Under the new administration, several projects that have been in limbo are now moving forward.

CORTLAND — City council has canceled a proposed restroom and waterline near Mosquito Lake — a project much delayed and disputed during the administration of former mayor Deidre Petrosky — after bids came in over estimate and new concerns emerged about cost, safety and location.

“I no longer think that this project makes sense for the city of Cortland,” Mayor Jim Bradley said during Monday’s council meeting.

The project would have seen a restroom built in the gravel parking lot at the end of West Main Street near the lake. Bradley said the first round of bids came in about 20% higher than the engineer’s estimate. A second round of bidding reduced the gap, but bids still came in just under 10% over the estimate.

Bradley said that prompted a closer review of the proposal.

“This project is not within the city of Cortland at all,” he said. “I cannot see the advantage of taking on the management risk and cost of the project.”

The facility would be owned by the state, Bradley said, while the city would be responsible for extending water service to the site. That work would include running a waterline more than 1,000 feet down West Main Street and extending it under the road to support the restroom. Those costs were not included in the project bid.

Bradley also raised safety concerns, citing discussions with the police chief about complaints in the area.

“Adding an enclosed restroom in that location could increase those safety concerns,” he said, noting that other park restrooms in the city have experienced vandalism.

Further review found that part of the site is within a floodplain, Bradley said, raising additional concerns about investing city resources there.

Bradley said he also contacted officials in Bazetta, who indicated they were not interested in taking on the project.

Council decided to abandon the project on his recommendation. There are some questions to be worked out, including what will happen to the grant money that was intended to be part of the project, Bradley said.

The restroom project is the latest action taken on a series of stalled or disputed projects — including a salt dome, a safety complex, an outdoor arts and recreation center, and others — that became flashpoints in the final months of Petrosky’s administration, as council members raised concerns about cost, missed deadlines and scope, along with a lack of communication.

Tensions spilled into public meetings and helped drive the push that ultimately led to Petrosky’s recall. Separately, after she left office, officials also uncovered a paving project that had been approved without going through council, further adding to concerns about oversight.

The outdoor recreation and art space project is moving forward; the salt dome is nearly complete and council approved paying the paving contractor for the work on the project that was already completed. Also Monday, council approved paying for a new set of plans that reduces the size and scope, along with the cost, of the safety service complex.

“It’s no longer a $12 million project,” Bradley said. “That’s the only way we can afford it, and the contractor understands that.”

Also addressing the garbage contract that was allowed to expire last year, council president John Picuri said a new contract, which will go into effect Oct. 1, will be introduced and discussed at the next council meeting.

Council next meets at 7 p.m. May 4 in council chambers.