The Williams County Park Board on Sept. 16 authorized $88,000 in design fees to move forward with design and bidding for a proposed community building at Blacktail Dam, voting to let JE Dunn take the plans to market while reserving final approval of construction costs.

The board’s action was limited: the only firm commitment made at the meeting was the $88,000 for design fees. Jeremy (staff member), who presented the proposal, said, “the only thing that we're absolutely committing on today” is the design fee, and that JE Dunn would return with a guaranteed maximum price after bidding and preconstruction work.

The community building under discussion would provide about 2,500 square feet of assembly space, interior and exterior-accessible restrooms, service windows for events, and roughly 40 paved parking stalls with identified overflow areas. The project was shown in two schematic options — a wood “stick” building and a metal building — and the presenter said the two options’ cost estimates were closer than expected.

Why it matters: board members said a year-round building at Blacktail would expand programming and provide rental revenue through weddings, reunions and other events, and would make on-site winter programming easier. Jeremy said the building could offer warming space for activities such as ice fishing and be rented for private events; he summarized the goal as building “a nice building that's gonna last long.”

Details and budget: the park system’s master-plan packet cited an overall master-plan budget figure of $1,600,000; the community building was an alternate in the original master plan and not part of the baseline scope. The design-fee authorization obligates the board only for the $88,000 design expense; JE Dunn, under a construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) approach, will develop final bids and a guaranteed maximum price for the board to consider later. Jeremy noted some cost drivers — particularly restrooms and kitchen areas — that tend to raise per-square-foot pricing.

Discussion at the meeting focused on options to reduce cost during the design phase, site layout and use: board members asked about building dimensions and price per square foot, proximity to existing group-site restrooms, parking and whether a gravel lot could substitute for pavement to save money. Jeremy said the bid package will separate elements such as parking so the board can choose alternates (for example, gravel vs. paved parking) when the CMAR returns with final numbers.

The motion to approve the $88,000 design fee carried on a roll-call vote. JE Dunn will proceed with design completion and bidding and return to the board with the construction-price recommendation and a guaranteed maximum price for formal approval.

Taper: If bids come back higher than the estimate, the board will make a separate decision on whether to proceed; design authorization does not obligate the county to construct the building at the estimates shown.