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Bulloch County approves reroofing, new HVAC at Fire Station 16 and road repairs; funding from insurance, FEMA and TSPLOST
Summary
The board approved three infrastructure projects: a permanent reroof for a mental‑health facility using insurance and FEMA funds, replacement of the undersized HVAC at Fire Station 16 paid from public safety funds, and a roadway repair contract with Ellis Wood Contracting paid from TSPLOST funds.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners approved several infrastructure contracts Tuesday, moving forward on a permanent reroof for a county mental‑health building, replacement of the HVAC at Fire Station 16 on Highway 67, and roadway repairs on County Road 148 (High Point Circle) and County Road 245 (Josh Deal Road).
Daryl Hopkins, buildings and facilities manager, asked the board to approve a reroof of the upper building at "Pinaly Mental Health" (as recorded in the meeting) to replace a temporary fix put in place after Hurricane Halen. Hopkins said the project would be funded by insurance and FEMA.
Hopkins also requested approval to replace an undersized HVAC system at Fire Station 16 on Highway 67. He said the existing system cannot reliably serve the station’s daytime occupancy — "9 to 11 people in there daily" and larger training classes — and that ductwork and dehumidification upgrades require full system replacement. He told commissioners funding will come from public safety accounts.
Public works representative Ron Nelson presented a contract request for roadway repairs. He described three repair locations on High Point Circle (each roughly 100 feet of full roadway width) and one location on Josh Deal Road (about one lane, 50 feet). Nelson said the county solicited quotes and received four responses; the apparent low bid was from Benchmark Construction at $32,386 but Benchmark could not show evidence of being prequalified with the Georgia Department of Transportation, a requirement in the county’s request for quotes. "Benchmark Construction could not prove that they are a GDOT prequalified contractor, so we had to pass on that group and go to our second lowest bid," Nelson said. The board awarded the contract to Ellis Wood Contracting at $34,980 with payment from TSPLOST funds.
Why it matters: the projects repair storm damage, improve emergency‑service facilities, and address local roadway safety and passability. The HVAC replacement is intended to serve daily station operations and training needs for many years; the roofing project replaces a temporary hurricane repair; the roadwork rehabilitates sections with poor soils and high clay content.
Board action: each item was called for a motion and approved unanimously. Commissioners asked routine operational questions about funding sources and timing; no members objected.
Contract and procurement notes: Nelson said the county used a request‑for‑quote process with procurement manager Faye Bragg and limited procurement time to expedite repairs. Four firms returned quotes: Benchmark Construction ($32,386), Ellis Wood ($34,980), Mill Creek Construction ($39,440) and Reeves Construction ($75,470). Ellis Wood was selected because it could document GDOT prequalification.
