WORTHINGTON — Contractors providing design and engineering services for replacing a generator at the Nobles County Government Center will get an extra $3,500 for the services of a structural engineer, rather than the $5,800 they requested, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners decided Tuesday.
Last September, the board accepted a bid of $29,000 plus $400 in expenses from EDI-Dolejs/Vetter Johnson Architects to take on the architectural design and mechanical engineering for the project. The only other bid for the project at that time was from Falls Architecture/Farris Engineering, for $55,000.
EDI-Dolejs and Vetter Johnson visually reviewed the site prior to submitting their proposal, according to the county.
Since then, however, EDI-Dolejs has recommended a structural engineer be involved to ensure the building structure isn’t compromised. LS Engineers proposes to provide structural engineering and drafting for two new openings in the existing lower level masonry walls and several concrete pads in the lower level that will support the generator, fuel tank and a door landing.
County Administrator Bruce Heitkamp noted that even with the full additional cost, the EDI-Dolejs/Vetter Johnson bid would still have been the lowest.
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“My comment is, I want to do it right,” said Chairman Bob Demuth, Jr., noting the generator would be needed to keep the government center running in an emergency.
“My comment is, I want to do it right, but also, they should have known this,” responded Commissioner Justin Ahlers, pointing out that the cost should have been included in the original bid.
Commissioner Gene Metz offered a compromise of giving the contractors another $3,500 rather than the full amount requested, which was unanimously approved by the board.
In other news Tuesday, the board:
- Recognized Cliff Altman, highway maintenance superintendent, Zach Reker, drainage systems coordinator, James Timmerman, garage superintendent, and Noah Johnson, lead mechanic, all with Nobles County Public Works, after they assisted with a local emergency. A local fire chief dealing with a machine shed fire called several contractors to request an excavator, but none was able to assist. The Nobles County personnel were dispatched and helped the firefighters extinguish the blaze.
- Accepted the Nobles County Feedlot Program’s 2022 annual report, which will be submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Nobles County has 463 registered feedlots, and the state requires that 7%, or 32.5, are inspected each year; in 2022, 33 sites were inspected.
- Authorized County Attorney Joe Sanow and a deputy county attorney to attend a Use of Force symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May. The registration fee was waived and the travel and hotel expenses will be paid for with forfeiture funds.
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