Fuqua Construction presents $6.676 million guaranteed bid to renovate county building

Fuqua Construction presented a final, guaranteed lump-sum proposal of $6,676,000 to renovate the county building, company representative Max Barrowski told the McPherson County Commission on Oct. 14. The price, Barrowski said, covers design, engineering and construction to make the building move-in ready but does not include furniture.

"Our final number here is $6,676,000," Barrowski said, noting the sum includes an $82,000 allowance for network wiring and IT infrastructure but not the end-user devices themselves. He told commissioners the bid assumes the building will be vacant during construction and estimated roughly one year from notice to proceed to completion.

Why it matters: The proposal would commit a multi-million-dollar public expenditure and shape how county services are housed and scheduled during construction. Commissioners said they needed time to review the increase from earlier estimates and to identify potential funding sources, including previously discussed ARPA funds.

Barrowski described several items that contributed to the price increase from the preliminary estimate a year earlier: a substantial HVAC redesign moving the project toward individual room climate control, an expanded electrical scope tied to that HVAC change, allowances for exterior repairs, and new signage. "HVAC system is a very large part of it. It's about almost a half million dollars of the increase," he told the commission.

Specific line items Barrowski listed include an $82,000 allocation for network wiring, a $35,000 allowance for exterior repairs (holes from previous signage), and a $50,000 signage allowance for both interior and exterior signs. He also said two existing rooftop HVAC units would not be reused, two new rooftop units would be purchased, and multiple mini-split units would provide individual office control.

On fire protection, the contractor said the parking garage will not be sprinkled; instead the wall between the garage and the building must be a two-hour fire-rated wall, which he described as a less costly option than sprinkling the garage. He added that elevator work would be required to integrate the existing elevator with the new systems.

Commissioners asked about materials availability and scheduling. Barrowski said he had seen fewer supply issues in recent months, though he expected short delays from hurricane-related supply impacts. He urged the county to sign soon to lock contract prices: "If you were to sign a contract with us, we would lock in the prices that people have given us," he said, adding that waiting more than 60 days to start could be difficult for the contractor.

Next steps: Commissioners agreed to review the revised estimate and related funding options and planned to have Fuqua Construction return to the agenda in a few weeks for further discussion and possible action.