WORCESTER — The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has requested that an advanced level of oversight be given by the City Council, city administration and Off-Street Parking Board to renovations planned for the Pearl-Elm municipal parking garage.

In a letter to Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the chamber has asked that the garage project be made the first item of business for every meeting of the City Council Traffic and Parking Committee and the Off-Street Parking Board until the rehabilitation project is completed.

It has also asked both bodies to review the city's contract with LAZ Parking Limited LLC, specifically regarding staffing levels and maintenance requirements at the garage.

In addition, the chamber has called on the city administration and Off-Street Parking Board, in coordination with LAZ Parking Limited, to develop a proactive and dependable communications systems to inform those using the garage, as well as downtown companies, about the status of the garage and construction timetable.

"The intention would be to keep users of the garage well informed of actions and issues in real time — such as broken elevators or prohibited parking areas within the garage while these repair and rehabilitation issues are addressed," wrote Stuart Loosemore, general counsel and director of government affairs and public policy for the chamber of commerce.

Mr. Loosemore added that Paul J. Moosey, commissioner of public works and parks, has agreed to meet with downtown business and property owners at the chamber’s office Monday to discuss the planned garage rehabilitation project.

"Many of our members continue to contact us regarding the condition of the garage to date," he said. "We still do have some concerns moving forward regarding the size and scope of the project and the level of oversight.

"We want to make sure this significant parking structure downtown gets updated as quickly as possible and that information is sent out to the affected parties, businesses, their employees and the customers downtown," he added.

The Pearl-Elm garage is the largest and oldest of the five municipal parking garages. It has 800 spaces.

Earlier this month, the Chamber of Commerce said the garage has reached a "crisis point" because it is in such disrepair. It called on the city to develop a specific and detailed timeline for renovations to the garage.

The city put the Pearl-Elm project out to bid last spring, anticipating that the total cost would be about $13 million, based on a cost estimate done by a professional estimator.

But the city received only two bids, one at $19 million and the other at $20 million, both of which were a lot more than what had been budgeted for the project. As a result, the city had to reject the bids and rework the project.

Mr. Moosey said his department has since revised and updated the construction plans and phasing for the project, with the goal of achieving some cost reductions and a greater participation by bidders.

The restoration work will include electrical, plumbing, exterior masonry, concrete and steel repairs, new elevators and fire protection.

Mr. Moosey said the current bid plan is formatted in such a way that the project can move forward, in part, if total costs end up being excessive. He said alternates that make up part of the bid, such as painting and work on a third elevator, can be dropped if costs run high.

By doing that, he said work on the more important structural and façade repairs can proceed without having to put the entire project out to a rebid.

Mr. Petty said he appreciates that the city administration is making the repair of the Peal-Elm garage a priority.

He said the condition of the garage is the result of 20 to 30 years of neglect by the city.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said he feels the plan outlined by Mr. Moosey is the most "fiscally responsible" way to get the job done.

He said if the repair work was to be done all at once instead of in phases, he would likely have to recommend the use of tax-levy funds to make up the difference between what has been budgeted and the cost.

The rehabilitation project will be financed from revenues generated through the city’s off-street parking system.

Mr. Augustus said that if tax-levy funds were not used to make up the difference, then the parking rates in the garages would have to be raised by 32 percent to generate the additional revenue needed for the project.

"That would be too expensive and put too much of a burden on downtown businesses," he said. "This is the fiscally responsible thing to do. We are playing catchup now with this garage, but we are doing the best we can. I feel this the best way to get the job done."

Mr. Augustus said the city is currently reviewing the mandatory statement of qualifications from contractors that are interested in bidding on the garage project.

He said once that review is done, only the contractors that met the requirements will be invited to bid on the project.

It is anticipated that the bid process will be completed by the end of next month, with construction starting in the spring.