Unexpectedly high construction bids have thrown a wrench into the Bainbridge Township Town Hall project.
Unexpectedly high construction bids have thrown a wrench into the Bainbridge Township Town Hall project.
Despite DS Architecture, of Cleveland, providing an estimated cost of $600,000 earlier this year for renovations to the town hall, the lowest bid for the project came in at $934,000, said Jeff Myers, of DSA, during the April 14 Bainbridge Township Trustees meeting.
Only two construction companies bid on the project March 28, Myers said.
“Some of that can be contributed to the building compromise, potentially, some of it can be contributed to the political environment and the cautiousness of tariffs and stuff like that,” Myers said.
According to Ohio Revised Code Section 153.12, a project cannot exceed 20% more than the estimated cost.
As a result, trustees voted to decline both bids Monday.
The renovation project — which would include demolition of the room cap and the basement — was fast-tracked in February, after Drew Thompson, of DSA, told township officials the front room of the town hall was dangerous and should be closed immediately.
“We observed what appears to be a significant escalation in structural damage to the Bainbridge Town Hall gym. Based on our professional assessment, there is a substantial risk of catastrophic structural failure, posing a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of all occupants,” Thompson said in a letter to officials. “Given these concerns, we strongly recommend that the entire town hall building and surrounding area be temporarily vacated as a precautionary measure.”
After rejecting the construction bids, trustees asked DSA to redraw the renovation plans within four weeks at no cost to the township and asked that some things be taken out of the estimate and could be done in-house.
While trustees Kristina O’Brien and Michael Bates voted for the re-draw, Markley believed it would be best for the township to move in another direction.
“(I vote) absolutely not. Yeah, I think this is a mistake,” Trustee Jeff Markley said. “We’re going down another road. We’ve already been sold a bill of goods that hasn’t performed well, so we are stuck.”
He also believed the township was given the runaround regarding the building’s hazardous state.
“We were being told from up above that you’re done — this building’s gonna collapse any minute now, but it hasn’t, and the building still remains, and it’s been there for 100-plus years,” he said.
Myers said he would not want to be involved in the project if trustees decided not to structurally repair the building.
Bates emphasized to those in attendance the building is a hazard.
“We talked about this project the very first month that I was a trustee and I’m now in my last year of my first term and it’s time to do something,” Bates said. “The building is falling down. I watched (Service Director Jim Stanek) move those walls (with his hands). I felt like running for cover when he did it because I thought the roof was going to fall down on top of me. It was scary.”
