Second bid package for new county highway facility below budget, encouraging sign

Ryan Patterson, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Sep. 19—EAU CLAIRE — The second bid package for the new Eau Claire County highway facility came in under budget, an encouraging sign for its overall price tag.

The Eau Claire County Highway Building Committee during its meeting Friday approved the second bid package at a cost of $7.19 million. The bid package, which includes six separate bids, had a budget of $7.24 million, resulting in cost savings of about $56,000.

"It's great to get some good news," said Jerry Wilkie, County Board supervisor and committee member.

Indeed, the second bid package looked far different than the first bid package. The first package had a budget of about $4.5 million, but the cost approved by the Highway Building Committee totaled about $5.8 million, mainly because of high steel prices.

"We had considerably better results this time than the previous time," said Brian Girgen, construction manager at Market & Johnson. "That moved the dial in the right direction."

The second bid package included materials for site work and the foundation of the highway facility's main building, along with materials for a salt storage shed and fencing. With the bid package approved, construction on the facility could start as early as this week.

Three of the bids in the second package came in under budget. Concrete had a budget of $2.72 million, and a bid was approved at a cost of $2.62 million. Earthwork had a budget of $1.47 million, and a bid was approved for $1.32 million. Timber had a budget of $1.14 million, and a bid was approved for $1.04 million.

Three bids exceeded their budgets. Asphalt had a budget of $943,000 and was approved at a cost of $1.07 million. A pre-engineered metal building had a budget of $898,000 and was approved for $970,000. Fences and gates had a budget of $80,000 and was bid for $159,500.

The first two bid packages account for about half of the facility's total costs. The third bid package is expected to go out in early November and be considered by the committee later that month.

The new facility's projected cost remains at $34.7 million, about $1.95 million more than the Eau Claire County Board approved for the project cost in May. However, county officials have discussed several ways to decrease costs. The county also has $2.4 million in a contingency fund to deal with unexpected cost increases, none of which has been spent so far.

The new facility, scheduled to be fully completed in 2023, will house Highway Department staff and vehicles and be built on the south side of Eau Claire near U.S. 53 and Highway I.

The next Highway Building Committee meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6.