Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Harry & David praised for performance as 1-800-Flowers reports losses ... Our View: Gun-law initiative would sidestep the Constitution ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 3, 1915 ... Harry & David praised for performance as 1-800-Flowers reports losses ... Our View: Gun-law initiative would sidestep the Constitution ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 3, 1915 ... Valley firms ask for part of Medford projects Local contractors and architects don't want to be cut out of the bidding on $32 million in new police and fire buildings in Medford. Comment By DAMIAN MANN MailTribune.com By DAMIAN MANN Posted Dec. 6, 2013 at 12:14 AM Updated Dec 6, 2013 at 3:14 AM By DAMIAN MANN Posted Dec. 6, 2013 at 12:14 AM Updated Dec 6, 2013 at 3:14 AM » Social News Local contractors and architects don't want to be cut out of the bidding on $32 million in new police and fire buildings in Medford. "Please keep the projects local," Tom Hall, of S&B James Construction Management of White City, said Thursday night to the City Council. Hall urged the council to hire multiple contractors and architects to build a new police headquarters and three new fire stations rather than one contractor and one architect to run all the projects, which had been recommended by city staff members. The council asked staff members to return in a couple of weeks to present other scenarios — including hiring one architect and contractor for the police station and a separate architect and contractor for the fire stations. "I think the fire and the police need to be separated," said Councilor Dick Gordon. "We need to spread the wealth." Gordon and other councilors were worried that local firms would be competing against much larger firms in other areas of the country. Some local architectural firms only have one or two-man crews that could make it more difficult to handle the workload of multiple projects, the council feared. David Wilkerson of Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architecture of Medford said, however, that Jackson County bid the six-story parking garage and health services building separately. Those bidding on the jobs offered discounts if they received both jobs, said Wilkerson, whose firm is the architect for the county project. JE Dunn Construction, a national company with offices in Portland. He said the city should bid each of the projects separately, but seek discounts if they're bundled. The police headquarters and a parking garage are planned for Ivy and 10th streets at a cost of $21.6 million. Fire Station 2 on West Eighth Street would be replaced at a new location so that it can handle multiple vehicles and multiple crews, Sletmoe said. Fire Station 3 on Highland Avenue will be rebuilt and could be moved further to the south, away from a roundabout. Fire Station 4 on Table Rock Road will be rebuilt with an expanded drive-through bay and a larger living quarters and office area. The city will pay for the projects, along with a $6 million upgrade at U.S. Cellular Park, through $38 million in 30-year bonds that will be paid off through utility fee increases. The fee increase will start at $2 a month the first year, rising over time until it hits $4.82 a month by the fifth year. Other existing fees, such as a $2.82 street fee, will decline during that period. The net effect is that by the end of five years, the overall utility fee would have increased from $49.71 a month to $51.79. City staff proposed a type of construction contract that would bring together the architect, the contractor and the city into the process at the outset to work on the design of the buildings. Typically, most project involve designing the project first then bidding it out to a contractor. The city hopes to seek proposals from contractors and architects in the first few months of 2014. Design would take place from May 2014 to January 2015. Construction would take place from March 2014 to April 2016. Councilor Chris Corcoran said he would hope local architects could get together and bid on the projects together so that local firms get a piece of the pie. But he said he also wants to make sure taxpayers are getting the best value. "How are we going to get the most bang for their buck?" he asked. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm. By DAMIAN MANN MailTribune.com By DAMIAN MANN Posted Dec. 6, 2013 at 12:14 AM Updated Dec 6, 2013 at 3:14 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501