City rethinks needed facility after high construction bids
The city of Cassville is making a second attempt at designing and bidding a new public works facility after bids for a proposal made last year were all rejected due to high cost.
David Brock, Cassville public works director, said plans to build a new facility began in 2020, spurred by pandemic concerns due to limited space and no HVAC at the current facility.
The buildings housing the public works department now were erected in 1986, and the city purchased the property in 1994 from the Flat Creek Special Road District.
“We had 11 guys all in a small enclosed space with no HAVC,” he said. “were mirroring stuff others were doing like splitting shifts and spreading staff out between that building and the airport. We even paid some employees to stay home at times, but none of that worked. Mold is an issue in that shop, too.”
Plans in 2022 called for a new facility in the southwest corner of the city on a property it owns at the industrial park.
“We are using a lot near the sign there, because we figured out pretty quick buying property would be difficult, so we needed to use property we already owned,” he said. It’s an odd-shaped lot, and the chance of an industry moving in there is very small.”
The city designed a facility last spring and summer, aiming to add some conveniences like a training room and extra storage space. Instead, construction costs are forcing a second look and a scaled back approach.
“All the bids were competitive, but way high,” Brock said. “We were looking for about $2.7 million, and bids were coming in at around $3.7 million. in January, we will go through the design process again, and we have more information and knowledge this time.”
Funding for the project is split between federal funds, city revenues and loan dollars. This year’s budget is $2.3 million. Including spending on design work last year, the total project budget is $2.6 million.
The budget calls for $663,875 in American Rescue Plan Act money, COVID-19 stimulus dollars that must be used for capital projects and is returned to the government if not used by the end of 2024; $250,000 from the general fund; $300,000 from the water department; $170,000 from the parks/ stormwater department; $150,000 from the street department; and $1,121,125 in a loan on a 20-year note.
“The ARPA money was the seed money, and we are dividing the rest of our money through the department funds that would use the building,” Brock said.
Brock said the benefits of a new facility will speak for themselves, as most of the current building is covered, but not enclosed.
“This will give us a healthy environment for staff and offices for supervisors, as they all currently share a room,” Brock said. “There will also be more control over the environment instead of the open bays.
“We will also be able to provide cover for equipment currently in open air. We can consolidate all our equipment currently being stored at places like the water treatment plant and water tower and get it all in one secure location.”
Moving the facility to the new land would also negate any Flat Creek flooding concerns.
“We can move a lot of our equipment at the shop, but we have hundreds of thousands in small repair parts that would be tough to move on short notice in the event of a flood,” Brock said.
Bids for the project should go out in September or October, and Brock hopes one is accepted by the year’s end. Construction would hopefully begin in early 2024, and the building would be operational by the end of 2024.
