Madison County hears potential $3 million savings on new project site, plans RFQ

A committee member told the Madison County Board of Commissioners on April 14 that an architect who recently reviewed a replacement site for a county project estimated roughly $3 million in potential savings if the design omits a basement and an elevator and is built at-grade.

The update, delivered during the board’s public meeting, named a new site of about 11 acres. "The architect just, you know, kind of threw out a number of $3,000,000 in savings," the committee member said, adding that eliminating the basement and elevator accounted for much of that projected reduction in cost. The member said the architect will send a proposal and "is gonna send us a proposal, probably do an RFQ here in the next week or 2" to select an architect and pursue a design-bid-build procurement.

The member said the next administrative steps will include preparing an RFQ, selecting an architect, and soliciting a design-bid-build provider. The same speaker described ongoing work on a letter of intent with the state of Ohio and preparations for a governor's deed required to complete the property transaction.

Board members did not debate or vote on a contract at the meeting; the remarks were presented as an update and an estimate from the architect rather than a final decision. The committee member characterized the $3 million figure as the architect’s preliminary estimate.

Next steps stated by the speaker are receipt of the architect’s written proposal, issuance of an RFQ to procure design services, and subsequent selection of a design-bid-build contractor.