Supervisors approve bid award for Garberville veterans hall after years of debate, 4-1

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on May 6 to approve awarding the construction contract for the John Haines Veterans Memorial Building project in Garberville, moving forward with a project county staff said was "shovel-ready" after years of planning and demolition work.

Public Works Director Tom Matson told the board the county holds the property for use as a veterans building and that the project team had reduced the previously presented cost estimate by about $1 million, roughly a 17% reduction. "We are ready to to build this facility and we are recommending that you approve this so we can move it forward," Matson said.

Supporters, including veterans and community organizations, told supervisors the hall had been the social and civic heart of Garberville and urged the board to approve construction. Speakers described the hall's past role hosting community dinners, civic meetings and emergency staging. "This was the center for civic participation in Garberville," said Douglas Curtis, a longtime resident who listed uses ranging from candidate forums to emergency response gatherings.

Opponents and one supervisor said the county should pause to pursue other options because of tight county finances. Supervisor Mike Wilson said he had voted to advance earlier steps in the project but would oppose fully funding construction in this manner now. "I will be voting no on this as proposed," Wilson said, citing the county's structural deficit, limited staff to manage a large construction project and the possibility of leveraging outside funding or acquiring an existing downtown building instead.

Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, who brought the item forward, argued Garberville had a long-standing promise tied to the donated property and that the county had already invested in demolition, design and management. "We have promised them for 10 years that we're going to do something," she said, urging the board to finish the project.

Board discussion focused on the trade-offs: the need to honor past commitments to veterans and to restore a community facility versus the risks of rising construction costs, contingency use and limited county staff capacity for project oversight. Matson said the county typically keeps change orders low and that the awarded contractor had bid with current prices in mind; he also said the project team had reduced estimated costs through intensive project management.

The board approved the bid award with a 4-1 tally. The record shows four votes in favor and one against; the motion carried. Matson told the board staff expected to break ground "soon." A 10% construction contingency was included in the project budget; supervisors stressed they expect staff to manage the contract tightly.

The project remains subject to budget controls and any change orders that exceed the contingency would require further board approval. Proponents said the completed hall will serve veterans and the broader Southern Humboldt community for events, election polling and emergency operations; critics said the county should weigh alternative locations or leverage more outside funding to avoid strain on county finances.

Clarifying details: county staff reported the project cost had been reduced by about $1,000,000 (a roughly 17% reduction) since the board's last presentation; the department is budgeting a 10% contingency for change orders; the county has already spent several hundred thousand dollars on demolition, design and project management (staff said roughly $680,000 had been spent on preconstruction efforts). Matson said construction management and contingency practices were intended to limit cost overruns, but board members warned the contingency could be consumed by routine change orders if not strictly managed.

The board vote and the award finish a long-running local debate over whether to repair the original hall or build a new facility on the donated lot; proponents argued the donated site and the veterans' historical ties to the property weigh in favor of construction there. The board did not vote at the meeting to transfer ownership to a veterans group; the county retains title under the donation terms.

The board's approval authorizes staff to proceed with contract execution and preliminary scheduling; Matson and staff indicated they would return to the board if any change order exceeded the authorized contingency or if the board's four-fifths approval threshold was required for contract adjustments.