Committee sends combined exterior-repair bid for two downtown county buildings to board without recommendation

County staff presented a combined solicitation to repair exterior elements at 118 West Davis Street and 151 North Main Street and the committee voted July 14 to forward the matter to the full board without a recommendation.

Mister Howard told the committee the combined scope included replacing gutters, trim and fascia, repairing dormers and slate roof trim, repainting upper-story trim, brick pointing on a chimney that is allowing water into the building, and drainage work between the county property and an adjacent building. "We received 3 bids and Colossal Contractors was a low bid at $239,060 plus the add alternate of 18,800 to fix the drainage between us and the adjacent building," Howard said.

Howard said the current budget for the combined work is $229,965, leaving an estimated shortfall of about $53,681. He described three options: (1) fund the balance from the general fund, (2) delay both projects to the next fiscal year, or (3) separate the two projects and bid one this year (Howard recommended 118 West Davis Street first if the projects are split).

Committee members raised maintenance questions, including whether routine sanding and painting could improve the front doors and whether in-house crews could clean the courthouse monument and steps. Howard said replacing the historic wooden front-door assembly could cost about $30,000–$35,000 and that sanding and painting can be attempted as an interim measure.

Supervisor Brown moved to send the combined repair package to the full board without recommendation so the full board could weigh funding options; the motion carried. The board will decide whether to fund the shortfall from the general fund, split the projects, or delay work to a later date.