Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Libraries, shelter retrofit and other capital projects face design delays and rebids; board urged to await Havana council review
Summary
The board reviewed several capital projects and procurements — CMAR notices for Chattahoochee and Havana libraries, the Havana Health Center CMAR, a rebid for a hurricane special-needs shelter, and authority to draft an RFP for the Boys & Girls Club — and discussed delays tied to incomplete designs and rising construction costs.
The Gadsden County Board moved through a series of procurement and construction agenda items, with staff recommending pause or caution on a subset of projects because of incomplete designs and recent cost increases.
For the Chattahoochee and Havana library projects, staff presented notices of award intent under the CMAR (construction manager at risk) procurement process. Legal counsel told commissioners he saw no legal impediment to proceeding with CMARs without finalized plans and said the county will post a notice that allows bidders 72 hours to file a protest. However, counsel and several commissioners recommended pulling the Havana CMAR from immediate consideration and waiting on a scheduled meeting with the town of Havana because original schematics that were shared with the town differed from later designs. Counsel and commissioners said the earlier design envisioned a roughly 4,000–4,500 square-foot building attached to adjacent structures; subsequent technical requirements (for example, sprinkler systems) and cost factors led designers to recommend either an unattached building or a reduction to about 2,000 square feet. Staff recommended waiting for Havana’s council decision at its upcoming meeting before finalizing CMAR selection for that library.
By contrast, staff said the Chattahoochee Library and the Havana Health Center projects were further along: the health-center design is close enough that a CMAR can begin project orientation, and staff recommended keeping that item on the agenda so a CMAR can be engaged.
Commissioners also considered a rebid of a hurricane special-needs shelter retrofit after two procurement rounds yielded too few bidders or bids above available funding. Staff reported second-round bids exceeded the budget by roughly $300,000; the county is seeking additional funds from the grantor or reissuing the procurement as an RFP to allow negotiation with proposers. A separate agenda authorization allowed staff to draft and publish an RFP for a Boys and Girls Club construction project; staff said site selection, deed transfer from the school board and civil drawings are complete and that the project could launch in summer if outstanding approvals are resolved.
What happens next: staff will post the required procurement notices, honor protest windows, and in the case of the Havana Library recommended waiting for the town’s review before approving a CMAR; several projects will proceed once designs or additional funding are finalized.
