Commission moves forward on $2.62 million shop expansion; schedule aims for roof by year's end

The Cole County Commission approved awarding a $2.62 million base bid for a county shop expansion after staff reported bid-opening results and recommended awarding the contract. Staff said seven bids were opened on June 17; the low bid was read as $2,620,000 and the high bid $2,960,000.

Public Works staff summarized key contract terms: unit prices for unsuitable materials, a 320-calendar-day completion requirement, liquidated damages of $500 per day for delays, and a $50,000 contingency allowance. Staff also described possible value-engineering changes that could reduce costs by roughly $50,000 to $55,000.

On funding, staff recommended using 806 sales-tax funds ($1.65 million), $500,000 from the road-and-bridge contingency, and a recent $446,000 insurance settlement related to a fuel spill to bridge the gap to the $2.62 million figure. The contractor noted a three-week paperwork period before mobilization and a roughly 10-week lead time for steel; staff estimated the building could be erected and under roof by the end of the year with interior finishing into spring and a likely ribbon-cutting around May of next year.

At the meeting a commissioner moved to award the base bid of $2.62 million to SL Construction Company; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. (Transcript identifies the low bidder read at the bid opening as Verso/Versoce Construction but records the award motion naming SL Construction Company for the $2.62 million base bid.)

Staff said they will circulate the contract for signatures and proceed with bonding, insurance and other preconstruction submittals before authorizing mobilization.