Single-bid storm shelter at Flatwood Community Center to be negotiated; ARPA funds identified

County engineering staff told commissioners on Tuesday that only one bid was received for a storm shelter at the Flatwood Community Center and recommended negotiating the price before awarding the contract.

The lone bidder was Safety Shelter, whose parent company the staff identified as Aquamarine Industries. The bid submitted was $146,250; staff said they expected to negotiate that price downward and hoped to return with a lower amount at the next agenda. The county noted the project is being paid from Commissioner Sankey’s ARPA allocation.

A commissioner asked whether the concrete pad for the shelter had been constructed to the necessary specification to bear the shelter’s weight. County staff said they had a geotechnical report verifying the pad was compacted and structurally sound, and staff offered to provide a copy of the geotechnical inspection to any commissioner who wanted it.

Commissioners requested a breakdown showing how much of the quote represents the prefab unit versus installation so the county can compare the price against other vendors; staff said they would provide that information and attempt to negotiate the bid price and return the item to a future agenda for a possible award.