Morgan County awards $1,128,184 fairgrounds hog and sheep barn contract; Becker votes no

The Morgan County Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 on Feb. 11 to award RFP 2025-0102-001, a contract for a new hog and sheep barn at the Morgan County Fairgrounds, to Keefe Construction for $1,128,184.00. Mike Cox, Morgan County building maintenance, recommended awarding the contract to the lowest responsive bidder.

The contract award was approved after Cox described five bids received for the project and summarized each proposal. Bids came from Chisel Construction ($1,650,984.00), Buildings By Design ($1,359,223.00), Eric Reichert Insulation & Construction, Inc. ($1,481,836.00), Keefe Construction ($1,128,184.00) and an incomplete submission from Mesa Fab Shop, Inc. Cox told the board the Keefe price includes removing the existing hog and sheep barn and adding a new lean-to.

Commissioner Tim Malone moved to accept the bid tabulation and award the contract to Keefe Construction; Commissioner Kelvin Bernhardt seconded. The motion carried with two votes in favor (Malone and Bernhardt) and one opposed (Chairman Jon Becker). The meeting record does not include an explanation from Chairman Becker for his vote against the award.

The board previously tabled the procurement under the prior board; Cox said the bid was first submitted to the previous board and was deferred until the current board took office. The board did not discuss additional financing details, project timeline, or contingencies during the public meeting record.

The board’s action finalizes the vendor selection pending any administrative steps required by county procurement rules and contract execution.