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Commission approves preliminary $2.2 million transfer-station budget, directs engineered bid package
Summary
The Hart County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary construction budget of about $2.2 million for a new transfer station and authorized engineers to prepare a bid package after members debated scope, cost and whether to seek alternate designs.
Hart County commissioners voted to approve a preliminary construction budget for a new county transfer station and to proceed with engineered drawings and a bid package.
The commission’s action authorizes Precision Planning’s engineering work to finalize construction documents and put the project out for competitive bids. The project team presented a design that replaces the existing recycling and trash buildings with a reinforced-concrete structure. The preliminary budget presented to the board was about $2.2 million and includes roughly $100,000 for extended design and construction drawings.
The vote follows extended discussion about whether the county should solicit additional designs or delay action to explore lower-cost options. Commissioner concerns focused on cost, choice of an engineering firm, whether local contractors could deliver a lower price, and the possibility of refurbishing the existing building if the county performed more in-house work. Supporters said the plan uses a licensed engineer (the same firm that designed recent county projects such as the jail and sheriff’s office, according to the meeting) and would reduce future maintenance risk.
Commissioners and staff described the new design as reinforced concrete (no metal cladding) and said the configuration is intended to keep the old facility operational while the new one is built. Staff also said the site plan minimizes off-site fill by moving existing dirt on site rather than importing material, though engineers will finalize grading when producing bid documents.
A motion to move forward with the construction budget and direct the engineer to prepare bid documents was made and seconded; the board approved the action and directed that commissioners will have the opportunity to review final bid documents and ask questions of the engineers before the bid package is released.
What the board approved is a preliminary budget and direction to complete engineered plans and prepare public bidding documents; the contract award and any necessary budget amendments will return to the board for approval after bids are received.
Officials said the item will be advertised and that bid documents and engineering plans will be available for commissioner review prior to solicitation. Staff noted the county will need to manage project costs and may need budget amendments after bids are returned.
The next steps are completion of the final bid package by Precision Planning, advertisement for competitive bids, and a later board decision on bid awards and any required budget changes.
