Board gives staff direction to proceed with Parks & Recreation roof and HVAC project; worst-case cost up to $1.12 million

Prince George County supervisors on Sept. 23 instructed staff to move forward on replacing the roof and three rooftop HVAC units at the county Parks & Recreation building and to return to the board with a contract award and appropriation request.

Facilities staff presented a design-build scope developed under Chesterfield County cooperative contracts and gave the board a range of costs. Project manager T. J. Enos (presenting) said the base bid to replace the main roof was $364,560 and that additional budget costs for likely contingency items — removal of three abandoned roof curbs, an abandoned incinerator stack and replacement of perimeter corrugated siding — raise a reasonable estimate to about $510,232. Enos told the board a worst-case scenario that included full asbestos abatement and complete steel-deck replacement would bring the total to about $1,121,712, though he said core sampling and the contractor's experience made asbestos and full decking replacement "unlikely." He recommended using the cooperative-contract pricing to expedite the work.

Board members asked about timing, staffing impacts and competitive pricing. Enos said daily work would be "dryed in" each evening to avoid interior water damage and that staff would not be displaced during the work. Supervisor Philip Pew asked how quickly the county could obtain multiple bids; Enos said the design-build scope would make it straightforward for other contractors to price the job and offered to return with two additional prices if the board wanted them. Several supervisors expressed urgency to fix longstanding leaks; the chair then took a sense of the board and declared consensus to move forward now with procurement using the cooperative contract and to return at the next meeting to award a contract and request an appropriation from the general fund balance.

Why it matters: county staff said multiple rooms across the building have stained ceiling tiles and that the roofing system has been leaking for years. The board's direction commits the county to bring a contract award and appropriation request back to the board; staff said the award would use Chesterfield County's cooperative pricing and that the appropriation would be from general fund balance.

Ending: no contract was awarded the night of Sept. 23. Staff will return to the board with the recommended contract award, cost not to exceed the figures presented, and an appropriation request at an upcoming meeting.