Valley OKs Bid For Concession Stand
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
The winning bid came from Miller Construction, Claypool, for a base bid of $266,775. However, the board chose an alternate to the roof, reducing that bid by $23,000 to $243,775.
On May 7, the school board reviewed bids for the project, but they came in higher than anticipated. If bids for a school building project come in under $150,000, a school corporation does not need to have a prevailing wage committee hearing. However, both bids received by Tippecanoe Valley came in at more than $200,000. D-T Construction Service Inc., Silver Lake, had bid $248,951. Miller Construction, Claypool, had bid $210,875. Even with alternate deductions of $34,420 and $19,245 respectively, the bids were still more than $150,000.
The school board voted to reject the two bids and re-advertise the project with changes and prevailing wages.
For the second round of bids for the project, Miller Construction was the only bidder for the concession stand project.
Architect Wesley D. Welsh, Wabash, told the school board Thursday that Bob Miller, of Miller Construction, told him that with the prevailing wage increase to the bid, Miller's bid only went up about 25 percent. Usually, Welsh said Miller told him he usually experiences a 30 to 40 percent increase with prevailing wages.
Bryen Murphy, school board vice president, asked if work on the project could begin Monday. Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer said Miller told him it could start the next day. Board member Hal Hoffman said they had to get their permit first from the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission before any dirt was moved. Welsh said they likely could start Monday.
But for board member Mark Wise, who voted against the bid, the price was just too high. He said the board heard $150,000 for the project for awhile, but now it's more than $260,000. He said that's too much to spend for something they will use only half a dozen times a year.
Murphy said it was an awful lot of money to spend for a concession stand. Hoffman agreed, but said, "I don't know what the alternative is." Wise said they could build a different type of building and be cheaper. Wise also said he didn't think it would be completed by the football season.
"I just don't think it will happen," he said.
Whatever the board decided, said Hoffman, it has to look nice. This is the first thing people will see when they come to sporting events.
The prevailing wage requirement, he said, "burns me to no end. It's a total rip-off to the taxpayers. I don't know who it's trying to protect, my guess is the union."
However, Hoffman did say he thought it would be finished in time. "I know Bob," Hoffman said, "and he'd pull every straw to get it finished. I guess I'm not too worried about getting it finished. Getting $116,000 peeled off to get away from the prevailing wage is basically back to what we got" now with the current concession stand.
Wise said they would only have to peel off $60,000 from the price because the prevailing wages are included in the new base bid.
Later, Hoffman said, "I'm really afraid of what we get if we get below $150,000."
"You'll get exactly what you got now," said Rod Eaton, board member.
Murphy made the motion to accept Miller Construction's base bid of $266,775, and then also the alternate to the roof for a reduction of $23,000. Eaton seconded the motion, and it was approved 4-1, with Wise against.
The board also gave Kramer approval to sign the contract on behalf of the board for the project.[[In-content Ad]]
The winning bid came from Miller Construction, Claypool, for a base bid of $266,775. However, the board chose an alternate to the roof, reducing that bid by $23,000 to $243,775.
On May 7, the school board reviewed bids for the project, but they came in higher than anticipated. If bids for a school building project come in under $150,000, a school corporation does not need to have a prevailing wage committee hearing. However, both bids received by Tippecanoe Valley came in at more than $200,000. D-T Construction Service Inc., Silver Lake, had bid $248,951. Miller Construction, Claypool, had bid $210,875. Even with alternate deductions of $34,420 and $19,245 respectively, the bids were still more than $150,000.
The school board voted to reject the two bids and re-advertise the project with changes and prevailing wages.
For the second round of bids for the project, Miller Construction was the only bidder for the concession stand project.
Architect Wesley D. Welsh, Wabash, told the school board Thursday that Bob Miller, of Miller Construction, told him that with the prevailing wage increase to the bid, Miller's bid only went up about 25 percent. Usually, Welsh said Miller told him he usually experiences a 30 to 40 percent increase with prevailing wages.
Bryen Murphy, school board vice president, asked if work on the project could begin Monday. Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer said Miller told him it could start the next day. Board member Hal Hoffman said they had to get their permit first from the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission before any dirt was moved. Welsh said they likely could start Monday.
But for board member Mark Wise, who voted against the bid, the price was just too high. He said the board heard $150,000 for the project for awhile, but now it's more than $260,000. He said that's too much to spend for something they will use only half a dozen times a year.
Murphy said it was an awful lot of money to spend for a concession stand. Hoffman agreed, but said, "I don't know what the alternative is." Wise said they could build a different type of building and be cheaper. Wise also said he didn't think it would be completed by the football season.
"I just don't think it will happen," he said.
Whatever the board decided, said Hoffman, it has to look nice. This is the first thing people will see when they come to sporting events.
The prevailing wage requirement, he said, "burns me to no end. It's a total rip-off to the taxpayers. I don't know who it's trying to protect, my guess is the union."
However, Hoffman did say he thought it would be finished in time. "I know Bob," Hoffman said, "and he'd pull every straw to get it finished. I guess I'm not too worried about getting it finished. Getting $116,000 peeled off to get away from the prevailing wage is basically back to what we got" now with the current concession stand.
Wise said they would only have to peel off $60,000 from the price because the prevailing wages are included in the new base bid.
Later, Hoffman said, "I'm really afraid of what we get if we get below $150,000."
"You'll get exactly what you got now," said Rod Eaton, board member.
Murphy made the motion to accept Miller Construction's base bid of $266,775, and then also the alternate to the roof for a reduction of $23,000. Eaton seconded the motion, and it was approved 4-1, with Wise against.
The board also gave Kramer approval to sign the contract on behalf of the board for the project.[[In-content Ad]]
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