Sports authority approves roughly $37 million guaranteed maximum price, caps fire‑marshal changes at $350,000

The Crossville Sports Authority on Monday approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the main recreation building plus an auxiliary gym alternate, a move authority members said keeps the project under prior budget estimates. The motion approved the combined figure reported by the contractor and design team at roughly $37,000,000 and set a not‑to‑exceed allowance for fire‑marshal modifications at $350,000.

The vote followed a presentation from Chad, representing American Constructors, who reviewed the competitive bid results and recommended subcontractors. “We had roughly a 178 bidders that bid on the different trades,” Chad said, calling participation “remarkable” for Crossville. He said competition and a reduced design contingency lowered the main building estimate from about $38,000,000 at the 50% construction document stage to the low‑to‑mid $34,000,000 range; combining the MAC gym alternate (about $2,300,000) brought the combined total to roughly $37,000,000.

Authority members pressed for clarity on what approving the GMP would lock in. One member asked, “I just would like to understand. I mean, with this motion, essentially, would we be approving all the subcontractors? What is the extent of this decision?” Chad answered that the board’s approval would lock in the dollar amount and that selection of specific subcontractors would be left to the contractor, noting that changes could alter the total.

The board also heard that the fire marshal had requested last‑minute changes that had not yet been priced. Chad said the specific fire‑marshal changes were not included in the presented numbers and estimated they would be in the “$300,000 range.” After discussion the board approved the GMP with the fire‑marshal modification allowance capped at $350,000 and with the understanding that final fire‑marshal pricing would be provided when available.

Officials also flagged a separate, owner‑contracted independent special‑inspector requirement for building code testing and special inspections. The inspector firm identified in the packet, ETS, was shown with a budgeted fee of about $92,500, and staff said that contract must be executed directly by the authority because the independent inspector reports to the owner and regulators.

The presentation named a number of recommended subcontractors and major trade low bidders (site work, roofing, mechanical, electrical and others). Chad recommended using several regional firms and noted local participation on key trades such as roofing and masonry. He said competition and detailed drawings helped reduce the price and that American Constructors had placed roughly $1,000,000 in construction contingency in the GMP.

The motion to approve the GMP plus the fire‑marshal allowance carried on an affirmative voice vote. Staff said they would provide the board with complete breakdowns, final fire‑marshal pricing when it arrived, and a supplier recommendation list for diligence.

The board directed that any independent‑inspector or other owner‑procured contracts (inspection, low‑voltage/data, furnishings) be brought back as separate items as needed so they could be approved under separate contracts.

The vote and the supporting materials do not yet include final fire‑marshal pricing or the HVAC and masonry final line items; staff and the contractor said those numbers were outstanding and would be delivered before final contract documents were executed.