Committee backs selection of design‑build team for Blue Valley salt storage; preconstruction services authorized

Public Works presented a request to select a design‑build team and authorize negotiation of pre‑construction services for the Blue Valley Salt Storage facility replacement. Staff said three proposals were received and a five‑member evaluation committee recommended Fogo Anderson Construction as "the most qualified firm with a proposal that represented the best overall value for the city." The committee moved to direct the city council to award the RFP and authorize negotiation of an agreement limited to pre‑construction services; that authorization was scheduled to return on the consent agenda for mid‑June.

Josh, the presenting staff member, said the city’s long‑standing salt barn design is timber and concrete but the industry has shifted toward steel open‑span buildings with fabric wraps; staff sought a design‑build approach to optimize layout and minimize resident disruption while moving salt stockpiles during construction. He said the project budget discussed in the presentation was $2,015,000 and that the pre‑construction authorization would be limited to preconstruction work pending a future guaranteed maximum price. Committee members asked about how future task orders would be handled and whether the design‑build method reduces later change orders; staff said the approach puts the site and constructability risk on the design‑build team and can limit change orders by integrating design and construction earlier.