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Board awards construction management contract for 50 East Main, approves project payments
Summary
The board approved Valley Commercial Construction for construction management of 50 East Main Street and approved payments and invoices for county projects, including a $54,830.94 IRPA landfill invoice and a $14,001.97 payment for the jail laundry project; members discussed the value of an on‑site construction manager.
The Knox County Board on July 23 awarded a construction management contract for the 50 East Main Street project and approved several project payments and invoices.
Bondi, reporting for the infrastructure committee, said Klinger and Associates and the county clerk tabulated three bids and recommended Valley Commercial Construction as the most economical overall after reviewing qualifications, fees and references. "Mathematically, Valley came out economically with the best performance," Bondi said. Board members discussed why the county will retain engineering oversight while adding a dedicated construction manager to provide on‑site inspection and reduce rework.
Separately, the board approved an IRPA landfill quarterly tonnage invoice for $54,830.94 and approved Amendment No. 4, Draw No. 9 for the jail laundry project in the amount of $14,001.97 (project total reported as $415,040; spent to date $385,150.80; retainage $19,257.54). Clerk statements and packet materials were cited as documentation for the payments, and the clerk called the roll for each motion. The record shows the IRPA invoice passed with 14 ayes; the construction management award passed with 13 ayes and 1 no; the jail laundry payment passed with a 13–1 roll call in the record.
Why it matters: awarding a construction manager and approving project payments advances multiple county capital projects and sets local contracting dollars in motion. Members emphasized the construction manager’s role in limiting surprises and ensuring proper sequencing and inspections.
What was said: Members discussed cost trade-offs between using the county’s engineering firm alone versus adding a separate construction manager. One board member cautioned about incremental costs on smaller projects; others said not having a single dedicated inspector had led to repeated rework in the past.
Next steps: County staff will finalize contract documents with Valley Commercial Construction and continue routine payment approvals as projects proceed.
