Board awards $710,000 sole-source contract for Fire Station 4; architect fees to be negotiated

The Charlton County Board of Commissioners authorized County Administrator Glenn Hull to award a sole-source design-build contract to Gary Tippins Construction Inc. for the construction of Fire Station 4 at a contract price of $710,000 on July 17. County Administrator Glenn Hull explained the county solicited a state contract and issued a request for qualifications; only Gary Tippins Construction responded. Gary Tippins and representatives Chuck Edwards and Conner Edwards answered commissioners' questions during the meeting. Commissioner Jesse Crews moved to award the contract; Chairwoman Alphya Benefield seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Drew Jones asked County Attorney John Adams to confirm the legality of a sole-source award; Adams confirmed it was legal. Jones also asked whether the building—planned for use as a voting precinct—would require additional requirements; Chuck Edwards said the building "will be built to code and will be ADA compliant," which the minutes record as satisfying the precinct-related requirements. County Administrator Hull asked that the motion be amended to include architect fees; the board amended the motion to allow Hull and County Attorney Adams to negotiate those fees and approved the amended motion unanimously. The minutes record authorization to award the contract and negotiate architect fees; they do not include a construction schedule, funding source detail, or the planned location address for Fire Station 4.