Revised plans for Twisp’s new civic building and communictions center call for a smaller “footprint” and different material finishes.
By Don Nelson
Construction bids for Twisp’s new civic building have again come in much higher than the projected cost, creating a new challenge for town officials.
Three bids were received last week, according to information on the town’s website: $4.497 million by Blew’s Construction of Spokane Valley; $3.998 million by Halme Builders of Davenport; and $3.587 million by Leone & Keeble of Spokane. According to the town’s bid documents, the project cost was estimated at $2.835 million.
Even subtracting out costs for construction alternatives, which amount to about $200,000, the lowest bid would still be substantially more than the town’s estimate.
The bids were opened on Feb. 24. Based on interest showed by contractors, Public Works Director Andrew Denham had said he expected that around a half-dozen firms would bid.
The submitted bids will now be reviewed over the next three weeks by Denham and Architects West, the Idaho-based firm that is designing the facility. If an acceptable bid is approved, the contract could be closed in early March and construction could begin this year.
Mayor Soo Ing-Moody said this week that “We are still working through the details of what it means.” The council is likely to discuss the bids at its next meeting on March 9, she said.
“We will need to decide how to move forward,” the mayor said.
This is the second time the town’s call for bids has drawn proposals well over the estimated construction price. In May 2020, construction bids for the new building came in about $1 million higher than the $3 million cost estimated by Architects West. That caused construction on the project, which was expected to begin last summer, to be postponed to this year.
For most of the past year, Denham and his staff have been “value engineering” the building’s specs to bring costs down.
The new building will be constructed at the site of the existing town hall, which will be demolished. In addition to housing town administrative offices and police headquarters, the civic building is also being designed to serve as an emergency operations center for the valley. Several state appropriations are expected to cover most of the building’s cost.
At its meeting last week, the council approved a tentative agreement to lease space in the building at 101 North Glover St., which formerly housed the Family Health Centers dental clinic. The space would serve as temporary town offices while the new civic center is being constructed – unless the bids are acceptable. “Otherwise, we don’t need to move,” Ing-Moody said.
