Ironton City Council will wait to open bids on developing the fourth floor of the City Center until council members can add a few more details about what the city wants for the project.

Friday, June 09, 2000

Ironton City Council will wait to open bids on developing the fourth floor of the City Center until council members can add a few more details about what the city wants for the project.

The resolution seeking bids for a "design and build" contract was tabled at Thursday’s council meeting after Councilman Jesse Roberts expressed concern about the vagueness of the specifications.

"I cannot support that resolution to go to bid with the design and build (designation), " Roberts said at Thursday’s meeting, asking that his name be removed as one of the resolution’s sponsors. "It is unfair to ask contractors to bid on something we are not sure about."

City engineer Joe McCallister said typically governments hire architects to develop plans for projects and then contractors bid based on those specifications.

The design and build addition is an attempt to save time and money, McCallister said.

For less complicated projects, allowing contractors to bid on a design and build option reduces the time that would have been spent waiting for architect’s plans – and cuts costs.

"If we were building this whole building, I would never have recommended it," McCallister said.

Council Chairman Jim Tordiff said the city is trying to get a handle on what it would cost to develop the fourth floor because a prospective tenant has expressed interest in leasing the space.

The city’s preliminary estimate on the cost of the renovation is $500,000. Seeking bids is a way for the city to decide if the fourth-floor project is financially feasible, Tordiff said.

"If we had this information, we could have a meaningful discussion with potential clients on more than the traditional $6 per square foot (lease cost)," he said.

Roberts added that the city should also be concerned about the contractors.

"To go out and ask for bids to find out we can’t do it; it seems like we’d be wasting a lot of time," he said. He added that the design and build bid option would have to be very detailed.

McCallister said the details for the project are complete.

"We have a floor plan established," he said. "We paid for an architect for that already. I think it is a cake job."

Councilman Hugh Scott agreed that to take a couple more weeks would be advisable.

"I think we should hold back and get a little clarification," he said. "We don’t want to be caught with a big finance problem. We just can’t handle that right now."

Also at Thursday’s meeting, council members met in executive session to discuss a replacement for former council member Joe Black, who resigned June 1.

No action was taken on the vacancy.