MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Officials with the City of Morgantown are hopeful persistence pays off when it comes to going out to bid again on a maintenance garage project.
Two previous bid openings have brought bids in that were over budget.
Morgantown Director of Engineering and Public Works Damien Davis said they took some things out of the project to be completed in-house when the project bids came in around $4.5 million. The second round of bids came in around $3.5 million, so Davis said they substituted the type of siding to drop the project cost further closer to the now two-year-old cost estimate of $2 million.
"We've come back with this rebid with a different type of siding to bring it within budget," Davis said.
The current metal building has been used for salt storage, causing the lower portion of the building to rust, compromising the building. Davis said that in addition to the structure, there are also issues with the HVAC, roof, and improper insulation.
"This building was built in the 1970's and hasn't had much of an update since then," Davis said. "Most of this renovation is functional to make it a nicer space to work in."
The proposed design is masonry three to four feet from the ground and siding from the top of the masonry to the gutter soffit. Inside, new plumbing, exhaust/paint ventilation, updated fire suppression, and updated storm water control.
"We're going to be building that up with a foundation, and above that will be new siding," Davis said. "So, it will armor that building a little better against the weather and the abuse it takes from the salt, equipment, and things like that."
The intersection will change with the proposed Greenbag Road improvements by the Department of Highways that include a roundabout at the intersection of Greenbag Road and Mississippi Street. The city uses that area for some material and equipment storage and employee parking that will be consolidated into the current fenced in area.
"We're redesigning the footprint of our lot to help bring our employee parking into the fenced area so we can accommodate them and rearrange how our equipment is stored onsite," Davis said.
Davis said if the project bids do come within budget, he hopes to award the project as soon as possible.