Crockett EDC approves architect, engineering study and awards phase‑1 VOTEC renovation bid

The City of Crockett and the Crockett Economic Development Council on Oct. 21 approved a package of contracts and a bid award to prepare the VOTEC Center for an incoming tenant.

The council voted to contract Don Hill (Dunby Hill/Don Hill Architect) for architectural services for the VOTEC Center at 1505 South Fort Street, approving total fees of $12,500 to be paid by the Economic Development Council. According to the packet presented at the meeting, the schedule of payments is 20 percent up front, 80 percent on completion of working drawings, and a $500 fee allocated for a construction inspection. Staff told the board that structural design, civil drawings, landscape plans and state-required energy or green‑design audits were not included in the architect’s scope and would require separate procurement if needed.

Councilmembers also approved a $15,000 engineering services agreement with Goodwin, Lisonbee & Strong to review electrical design and prepare bid specifications for a building‑wide backup generator. Staff said a prior generator installation had covered only a portion of the building and that a new study would assess whether to trade up to a larger unit and confirm switching gear and load requirements.

On the renovation work itself, the EDC reviewed two local bids for phase‑1 renovation of the VOTEC Center and discussed payment‑bond requirements (staff noted bonds typically run 2–3 percent of the contract amount and estimated a payment‑bond cost of about $2,525.50 on the low bid). The EDC moved to award the project to the lowest qualified bidder and to include up to 3 percent for the payment bond; the motion carried. The city council later ratified the EDC’s approval during the city portion of the meeting because the total exceeded the council’s $15,000 threshold.

Speakers noted procurement steps taken: staff published the bid for the required two‑week period, solicited local contractors and confirmed standard change‑order and change‑scope protections (change orders over 25 percent require a rebid). The council also discussed retention/draw schedules: a 20 percent initial payment with 80 percent retained until project completion was described in the architect contract discussion.

The meeting contained a number of inconsistent spellings and references in the minutes — the facility is identified in the packet and the earlier agenda as the "VOTEC Center" at 1505 South Fort Street; later references in the transcript use a variant spelling and a different cross‑street. Staff confirmed the address listed in the architectural packet; the EDC said any such clerical inconsistencies would be clarified in contract paperwork before signatures.

Next steps: staff will finalize and execute the architecture and engineering agreements, proceed with the awarded contractor for phase‑1 work as ratified by council, and return to council if any amendment or contingency above the board’s authorization is required.