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| 6/17/2009 | Board picks firm for courthouse contractor | |
Board picks firm for courthouse contractor By Vinde Wells – Senior Editor-OGLE COUNTY NEWS
Expertise with historic structures swayed Ogle County board members to choose the second lowest bid for the Ogle County Courthouse renovation project.
The county board voted 16-8 Tuesday night to hire Ringland Johnson Construction, Cherry Valley, the second lowest bidder, as the project’s general contractor. The vote went against the recommendation of the Long Range Planning Committee, which favored the low bidder, EVS Construction, Aurora, last week. The two bids were less than $100,000 apart. EVS Construction’s bid was $5,427,600 while Ringland Johnson’s estimate was $5,505,967. “I feel Ringland Johnson is more financially stable and worked on more historic buildings,” said board member Robert DeArvil, Chana, after making the motion to hire the company. “I think they’re more qualified.” Architect Dennis Vovos, from Holabird & Root, Chicago, said the main difference between the two firms is that Ringland Johnson has restored numerous historic buildings, while EVS has done none. “This is really more of a renovation than a restoration,” Vovos said. The courthouse was built in 1891 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Board chairman Ed Rice, Rochelle, cast one of the dissenting votes. “As chairman of the county board, I have to support the lowest bidder unless there’s a glaring difference, which there isn’t,” he said. He said the two firms were very close in their cost estimates and qualifications. “I wanted the county board to make the decision, and they did,” he said. Rich Hartman, senior vice president of Ringland Johnson Construction, said he was pleased with the county board’s decision. “We’re very excited for opportunity,” he said. “We’ll do our best not to let them down.” Hartman said construction will begin as soon as possible. The project is expected to take approximately 10 months. At the May 19 county board meeting, Tom Lewandowski, Oregon, a former county board member who works for Ringland Johnson urged the board to choose his firm because they employ local residents. He brought 12 Ogle County residents with him who have been or currently are employed by Ringland Johnson. The 12 introduced themselves and told the board where they live. Some said they were laid off due to the economic slowdown. Once renovated, the courthouse will house the offices of the county clerk and recorder, treasurer and collector, supervisor of assessments, coroner, animal control, and geographic information system (GIS) partnership. Bids for the project came in much lower than expected. Originally the construction was expected to cost around $7.5 million. The entire project will likely come to about $7.5 million, substantially less than the $9.5 million first anticipated. The $7.5 million includes not only construction, but also furnishings, design costs, testing costs, rent for the Watt Building, Mt. Morris, where county offices will be located during the project, moving costs, and other related expenses.
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