ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
For a number of months, remodeling the Seward County Courthouse and Detention Center has been in process with the development of scope documents, meetings with stakeholders, development of bid documents, contracts and the bidding process.
The project took a step forward Monday when county commissioners voted unanimously to accept a bid for the remodel. The bid was from OC Quality Custom Homes of Liberal for $859,749.53, and Administrator April Warden said that bid as well as one from Liberal’s French Construction came in for less than an anticipated.
Warden said initially, three interested parties went through a pre-bid walkthrough of the buildings, but only OC Quality Custom Homes and French Construction decided to present a bid. She said officials with the companies likewise requested opportunities to walk through the project on their own.
“There were a lot of documents that were involved in this project, so they came back and asked for individual walkthroughs to look at more information,” she said. “The two bids you received were OC Quality Custom Homes for $859,749.53 and French Construction for $914,772.”
OC Quality Custom Homes will now have 180 days to complete the project, and the bid came recommended from the county’s architect firm on the project, GMCN Architects of Garden City. Money for the project will come from funding the county received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Before the vote was taken, Warden reviewed the status of the county’s ARPA funding.
“Currently, we do have pending projects, but that balance is $2,337,840.63,” she said. “You still have the rodeo arena bleacher project. You had set aside originally $500,000 for that project. It’s estimated that project’s going to come in at $390,556. That would leave $100,642.”
As with any project, Warden said there are always room for changes, and she added additional sidewalks will need to be added by the restrooms at the rodeo arena for ADA compatibility.
“I don’t know what the cost difference on that is going to be yet, but you still have some reserves in that fund,” she said.
Warden said $500,000 had been set aside for the courthouse remodel, and after drawings and other items such as architect and engineering fees had been paid, the county still has a $475,490 balance for that project.
Warden said in addition to the rodeo arena, other projects at the fairgrounds are being looked at for funding.
“You still had money set aside for livestock barns of $107,583,” she said. “Also, the grandstands reroof of $77,319. You have $500,000 set aside for the Masoni Bridge, but even though you’ve earmarked those funds, we won’t be able to use that for the bridge because the bridge would have to be completed by 2026.”
Finally, Warden said $86,900 from the ARPA funding has yet to be earmarked for anything.
“At strategic planning, we had talked about maybe putting that towards the communications center move if they moved that to the Recreation Center,” she said. “That leaves you a balance of $1,247,292. That does not include the revenue you still have with the bleachers because I didn’t want to tell you to utilize that money and there’d be change orders that take that money up.”
Warden said weatherizing has to be done on the outside of the Law Enforcement Center, and there also some repairs to concrete work that need to be done as well.
Commission Vice Chair Tammy Sutherland-Abbott moved to accept the bid from OC Quality Custom Homes for $859,749.53 and issue a notice to proceed as appropriate with funding to be paid from the county’s ARPA funding. Chairman Scott Carr seconded the motion.
Before the commission voted to accept the bid, Commissioner Steve Helm asked for an update on curbing that appeared to be falling apart between the sheriff’s office and the courthouse. Warden said that has already been fixed.
“It also includes restructuring that parking lot to where there’s no longer that cutout,” she said. “It’ll be two-way traffic through the parking lot as well. We just got through redoing all of the concrete for the flagpole. We redid the concrete work from the handicap spot. It did go clear to the end by the courthouse. We had to redo a lot of that because it was swelling and cracking, and it was pushing into the side of the courthouse as well. They ended up taking off that concrete and repairing it when they were here to pour the concrete work for the flagpole.”
