Lancaster – The cost of renovating a building at 12941 Stonecreek Drive NW on the Ohio University Pickerington campus to house some Fairfield County offices could be $600,000 more than the original estimate of $1.2 million.
“We’re all disappointed with that,” Commissioner Steve Davis said. “By the same token, we’re testing what others are up against right now. It’s hard to get contractors who have time at the moment. We only got one bidder on this project. Material prices are going crazy. So you kind of have a perfect storm right now.” Because of very tight contractor supply, labor supply and material prices that are escalating rapidly.”
The county plans to close the $2.75 million purchase this fall. In the meantime, it has a use agreement with the OU over the property.
The county will resubmit the project for $1.8 million after the architect originally estimated the work at $1.2 million. New bids are due to return on May 20. The single bid originally received by the county was just over $2 million. Revised Ohio and Municipal Code prohibits awarding a bid with more than 10% of the estimated cost.
More: County leases space from Ohio University Pickerington to relocate sheriff’s substation
The county wants to renovate two 15,000-square-foot buildings, but is only interested in one building now. This building will house a mayor’s substation that has been moved from downtown Pickerington and the county will move its head office from Hill Road in Pickerington to the OUP property. County Utilities Director Dennis Keeler said the state auto agency may eventually lease some of the county’s space there.
The sheriff’s office also has a substation in the Franklin County portion of the Winchester Canal. You will remain there and will not be affected in any way by the movement of Pickerington Substation.
Keeler said the county has made some adjustments to the renovation plan in terms of materials and price cuts.
“But there is not much we can do and find,” he said. “It’s just market conditions, I think.”
Keeler said he hopes the new $1.8 million price will attract bids that the county can use. He said the mayor’s office is already moving into the building because its part needs a bit of a renovation. The majority of the renovation work will go to the part that will be occupied by the property office.
Time is of the essence because the property office must move by January 1 due to the existing lease agreement.
“It is,” Keeler said. “We need to get good bids this time and award them and hopefully the contractor will start in the first week of June. That would still give us six months to do the renovation.”
For OUP classes, OU’s director of media relations, Jim Sabin, said the school is working with Pickerington Local School District to find a location for them.
Keeler said the county will worry about renovating the second OUP building once the first is complete.
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Twitter: @JeffDBarron