Council hears staff recommendation to award Fire Station 63 contract after bids come in under estimate

City staff urged the council to approve a construction contract for Fire Station 63 and an adjacent police substation after the September 17 bid opening produced six responsive bidders and prices under earlier estimates.

"We received construction bids on September 17... and after checking references for suitability and positive experiences, staff recommends Swinerton Construction," Erica Matson said in presentation remarks. Matson said construction documents were completed over the past year and the project came in within budget, with combined funding from FY22, FY23 and the approved FY25 budget.

Council members pressed staff on contingency and allowance language. One council member noted a 10% contingency and asked about a separate owner'9s allowance of $200,000; Matson said the owner'9s allowance is an in-bid allowance used for smaller site or equipment purchases and "if allowance is not fully expended, it is not paid out to the contractor." She added the contingency is budgeted to cover unforeseen change orders.

Council also asked about temporary police lease timing; staff said the current lease will expire before construction completes and that council will be asked to extend the lease at an upcoming meeting. Matson estimated roughly 18 months for construction after notice to proceed.

Council did not take a final vote in the work session; staff asked for any remaining questions and said they would bring formal contract authorization to the next council meeting.