The Lander County Board of Commissioners voted June 12 to award the construction contract for the Austin Community Center to Raymark Construction (bidder listed in the packet as Baymark/Raymark) for a total bid of $5,233,158.12, including a base bid of $5,211,431.24 and a bid alternate of $21,726.88.

Why it matters: The Austin Community Center is a major capital project for the county in Austin. The selected site requires extensive site improvements — retaining walls, roadway adjustments on Nevada Street and parking accommodations — and the construction contract represents the largest single public-project dollar amount on the meeting agenda.

What was discussed: Aaron Martinez, a project consultant, described the design and significant sitework required at the old tennis-court site chosen for the project. He noted retaining walls and guardrail work on Nevada Street to protect the facility, expanded parking for events and additional snow storage behind the building. Martinez said the bid package included a unit-price discrepancy that, when totaled by unit prices, amounted to about $30,300 more than the contractor's stated total; the contractor (Dusty Ship of Braemar Construction) attended and confirmed he would honor the total contract price listed in the bid tabulation. Commissioners asked about timing. Martinez said the contractor would receive the notice of award and then the standard contracting sequence (10-day response, 30-day period to provide bonds and insurance) would lead to mobilization in roughly a 40-day window in a best-case scenario.

Vote and next steps: The board voted to award the contract and authorized the public-works director (or other designated county signatory) to execute the notice of award and move forward with contract closeout tasks. The consultant and contractor will finalize bonding and insurance and develop a mobilization schedule.

Ending: Staff and the contractor will coordinate bond, insurance and a start date; commissioners noted they hoped work would begin promptly but said it likely would not be underway before the July 4 holiday.