Supervisors review estimates, timeline for sheriff's office parking-lot and new ADA entryway project

Des Moines County staff and board members discussed scope, cost and scheduling options for repaving the sheriff's office parking lot and adding a new ADA-accessible entryway to the building’s southwest corner.

County staff and a consultant (Klinger) provided preliminary cost guidance during the work session. The consultant’s rough estimate for excavation, concrete forming and reinforcement, railings, a new aluminum ADA entry door and limited design work was $30,000–$35,000 for the ramp and new entry at the southwest corner. Two county estimates for the full parking-lot repaving put the parking-lot cost roughly in the $300,000 range; speakers cautioned that the work might exceed $350,000 if significant subgrade or rock replacement is required once the pavement is removed.

Staff described two approaches: (1) treat the ramp/entry as a standalone, consultant-led structural project and bid it separately; or (2) include it as an alternate in the parking-lot bid so contractors can quote a combined price. Staff and an engineer explained the trade-offs: combining the projects can save on mobilization and avoid cutting new concrete soon after a larger paving job; keeping them separate may reduce consultant re-design fees but could mean separate mobilization costs for contractors who must return for specialized structural work.

Board members and staff discussed procurement timing and construction windows. Staff said they expect to be ready to advertise a parking-lot bid by late fall (bids likely in November) with construction realistically occurring next year. For the parking lot alone, staff estimated an on-site construction window of roughly two to four weeks (concrete curing and demolition are the rate-limiting steps). County staff said existing handicap parking layout and ramp grades have been checked and that the design team has worked to minimize elevation issues.

Budget context: supervisors discussed a previously referenced budget placeholder of $275,000 for related capital work; staff cautioned that final bids will determine whether available fund balance and that figure are sufficient. Staff also noted they would aim to structure bid documents to limit closure time for the sheriff’s office, and to allow emergency-vehicle access when feasible.

Next steps and direction: staff and the county planner will finalize bid documents for the parking lot; staff will coordinate with Klinger on ramp/entry drawings and consider an alternate bid for the ramp. Staff offered to perform concrete testing during construction to verify subgrade and materials. No formal vote was taken; the session recorded direction to prepare specifications and solicit bids so the board can approve a contract when bids are returned.

Why it matters: The project affects county capital spending and sheriff’s office operations and includes accessibility upgrades meant to meet ADA standards.

Details recorded in the meeting include the consultant’s $30,000–$35,000 estimate for the new entry ramp, parking-lot estimates near $300,000 with risk of higher costs if additional subgrade work or rock is required, and an expected construction timeframe of next year with on-site work measured in weeks.