Renovations to the City Park pavilion could begin in June with a reopening sometime in January, city officials said Thursday.

“That’s what we’re looking at,” North Ward Aldermen Michael Mayfield said. “I hate to use that window, because we’re getting into a part of the year when that pavilion gets a lot of use, but when the work is done, they’ll have a better facility. We’ve explained it to the people who are trying to rent it, and they’ve been understanding.”

He said some people were refunded deposits and fees, and city officials helped others find another venue for events, like the Vicksburg Auditorium.

Mayfield’s comment followed a decision by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to award a contract to Fordice Construction of Vicksburg to renovate the 51-year-old pavilion on Lee Street with a new roof and other changes for $453,475, which is about $103,475 over the $350,000 projected budget that is included in the city’s $9.2 million capital improvements bond issue.

Mayfield and Thompson said the extra money will come from other sources within the bond money.

“We will prioritize our funds, and use money that was for parks and recreation,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said.

He said the pavilion is a popular place in the city, adding people rent it for parties and reunions. According to the City Clerk’s Office, which oversees pavilion rentals, 46 events were held there in fiscal 2015 at $75 an event, generating $3,450 for the city.

Fordice was the low bidder on the project with an initial proposal of $624,650, which was about $275,000 over the proposed budget. South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said the price was reduced by removing, or deducting, several items from the original project base bid, dropping the price by $171,175.

The deducted items included:

• An awning around the entire building, $28,405.

• A concrete stage to replace the present wooden stage, $55,360. “We’re going to use the stage we already have instead of a concrete stage,” Thompson said.

• A grilling area for barbecues, $26,100. Thomson said the city will build a grill using city workers.

• Change from LED light fixtures to fluorescent light fixtures, $50,500.

• Water cooler and sink, $10,810. Thompson said the cooler and sink were meant to work in combination with the barbecue area. He said a faucet will be installed near the pavilion.

The board also rejected a $57,922 additional alternate bid for an LED color changing lighting system.

In another matter, the board approved awarding a contract to Vicksburg contractor DirtWorks Inc. for the Wisconsin connector road linking North Frontage Road with Wisconsin Avenue. DirtWorks was the low bidder on the project, with $949,668.35.

The board also approved an addendum to the base bid to install a chain link fence with vinyl slats to shield homes along the road from the traffic.

The extra work increased the final project cost by $17,267.01 to $966,935.36. The project estimate was $1.1 million. The city has a $1.3 million low-interest Mississippi Development Authority CAP loan to pay for the project.

The connector road will run between the River Hills Bank property and the proposed site for the Cannon Honda and Cannon Toyota dealerships to be built west of the bank to connect North Frontage with Wisconsin Avenue.