County finalizes site and targets July bid schedule for new county building; bids to open July 31

County staff and consultant Greg reviewed site plans, building-type options and a bid schedule for a planned county facility. Greg said the preferred building site was moved to the southern edge of the parcel to reduce roadside visibility, improve work area, and tie into an existing, stable cattle-guard benchmark used as an elevation control. Contours indicate modest grade differences (roughly a 0.2 contour spread noted in the drawing), with about 18–24 inches of fill required at some corners; Greg said drainage will be directed to the county road ditch via an internal site drain.

Commissioners and staff discussed building-system options: a clear‑span metal building (simple and often quickest to procure) versus steel‑tubing frames that accept interior finishes more easily, and traditional wood‑stud construction (typically more costly). Staff expressed concern that thin, cheaply built metal buildings with exposed insulation are harder to finish later and might have different insurance implications; the commission favored flexible bid specifications that require performance criteria (insulation, venting, commercial doors, and service distance for electrical), not a single mandated building system, to encourage competition and faster delivery. The commission asked that bidders provide commercially compliant doors and consider spray‑foam insulation only if bidders demonstrate cost feasibility.

On timing, staff will finalize bid documents by July 14 for advertisement July 18 and July 25 in the Ekalaka Eagle and Powder River Examiner and on Builders Exchange; bids are scheduled to open July 31. Commissioners plan to review recommendations and award on Aug. 4, leaving a schedule that could allow a fall construction start and a target staff completion in November. Staff will provide a hard copy bid packet to county offices and post documents online; Greg agreed to coordinate bid advertisement wording with county staff before publication.

The county and consultant noted additional estimated costs for electrical service due to distance from poles and recommended specifying commercial-grade doors, ventilation between roof and ceiling (or spray-foam insulation) and consideration of operator mechanisms for the primary overhead doors. No formal vote was required at the meeting; staff will circulate final bid documents and coordinate advertisement.