Codington County awards $633,521 contract for highway shop remodel

The Codington County Board of Commissioners voted May 12 to award a $633,521 contract for upgrades to the county highway shop, accepting the base bid plus two alternates from the lone bidder.

Randy Faly of the highway department and Adam Hansen, the project engineer with Banner Associates, presented the bid tabulation: the base bid was reported as $449,521; alternate one (replacement of main shop overhead doors) was $19,000; alternate two (electrical-panel upgrades) was reported as $165,000. Alternate three, for adding a generator, was reported at $121,000 and would push the project beyond the current budget, so the board approved the contract without that third alternate.

Adam described the scope for this phase: bringing ventilation and heating into the old truck shop, new steel and insulation, new windows for the old shop portion, concrete work for entrances and a heated, drained concrete floor suitable for equipment maintenance. Commissioners discussed phasing the generator as a separate future contract or change order if funds permit.

Commissioner Gable moved to accept the bid and award the contract in the amount of $633,521; the motion was seconded and carried. County staff said the award falls within the allocated budget for the project, though engineering and electrical contractor costs and any change orders remain subject to standard procurement oversight.

Next steps: the county will finalize contract paperwork with the bidder and proceed with construction planning for the awarded work; staff will track any decisions about the generator as a possible later phase.