Local News
Sports Center bids below mark
As Effingham city officials hoped, bids for constructing the proposed sports complex came in under $10 million.
The bid letting was held Friday afternoon at City Hall. Seven bids were submitted by general contractors to build the sports center.
Each bid contained three alternate items. The first alternate is an elevated three-lane running track that will run parallel to the second floor of the building. Runners will be able to look down over a 42-inch rail and see games on three different courts that can be used for volleyball, basketball or can be split up for batting cages.
The second alternate item includes a sunshade over the entrance on the south side of the building. It is a “bumpout” on the second floor that will act as an overhang, but will also be used as part of the fitness center. Treadmills or stationary bikes will be set in the bump-out so those exercising can enjoy the outside view.
The third alternate item includes special rubber flooring on the second floor of the complex. The mezzanine will be used as a fitness center, and the resilient flooring will make for a softer surface for those exercising.
The lowest base bid came from Plocher Construction of Highland for $8,780,000. The running track will be about $385,000, the sunshade will be about $33,500, and the rubber flooring will be about $18,400.
In total, they hope to keep costs at about $9,216,900.
Contegra Construction of Edwardsville had the second lowest base bid — about $20,000 higher than Plocher’s. It came in at $8.8 million, but the bids for the extra perks of the complex were about $20,000 lower than Plocher’s. Contegra estimates the running track will be $200,000, the sunshade will cost $21,000, and the resilient floor will be $16,500.
Contegra expects to keep the total cost of the project with all three alternates at about $9,037,500, which is the lowest total bid.
Local contractor Grunloh Construction submitted a base bid of $9,094,000. The estimate on the running track came in at $345,000, the “bumpout” came in at $28,000 and the rubber floor will cost about $17,000.
Grunloh’s total bid, the fourth lowest of the seven bids submitted, came in at $9,484,000.
The other four bidding companies include:
• Poettker Construction Company of Breese with a base bid of $8,970,000; a total of $36,200 for the alternate construction costs; and a bid total of $9,006,200.
• S.M. Wilson of St. Louis with a base bid of $9,099,800; a total of $437,800 for the alternate construction costs; and a bid total of $9,537,600.
• Korte Luitjohan of Highland with a base bid of $9,339,200; a total of $295,700 for the alternate construction costs; and a bid total of $9,634,900.
• Williams Brothers of Peoria with a base bid of $9,588,000; a total of $369,000 for the alternate construction costs; and a bid total of $9,957,000.
City Engineer Steve Miller said the architect for the project, Holabird and Root, will review the bids, tabulate the numbers and verify the bid bonds.
The city council must approve a construction company’s bid before construction of the sports complex can begin. Miller said he didn’t know when the council would consider accepting a bid. The numbers are good for 45 days.
Holabird and Root presented the sports complex plan to the city council in November and a site plan was approved by the plan commission in December.
This will be the second time bids have been accepted for the sports complex. The original design was sent back to be scaled down when the original estimate for building the facility came in millions of dollars over what the council expected to spend.
All bids submitted in June 2008 were rejected when the lowest bid was $16.8 million — much higher than the $10 million limit the city had set as a goal.
The redesigned complex is to be constructed out of metal, glass and concrete to help keep construction costs as low as possible.
The two-story complex will have three competitive size basketball courts, an eight-lane swimming pool, offices and locker rooms. The second floor will have a fitness center, an elevated three-lane track and a spectator area for the swimming pool.
An endowment by the Effingham Community Foundation will cover a projected deficit in operations. Hotel/motel tax funds will cover the bulk of construction costs.
Samantha Newburn may be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or samantha.newburn@effinghamdailynews.com.
- Local News
-
-
A dream come true
The Early Learning Center in Effingham has two new additions to its playground this year, and it’s not shiny new slides or colorful jungle gyms.
-
T-town village donates to school programs
Teutopolis hasn’t had a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program for more than a decade, but the village still had a fund for donations that had been made to the program.
-
Alcohol sales stir up extra revenue
Since voters allowed liquor sales in Farina earlier this year, village officials and store owners have noticed a change — and it’s positive.
-
Police release 'person of interest' sketch in Schmitt murder investigation
Effingham police released a sketch Tuesday of a "person of interest" in the June murder of Effingham resident Jack Schmitt.
-
Elderly couple escapes burning house thanks to neighbor
An elderly Shumway couple was able to escape a house fire unharmed Sunday night thanks to a neighbor who alerted the fire department and came to the aid of the husband and wife.
-
Giving Back
In many ways, Autumn Worton is like many other 21-year-old women.
-
Making a Difference
Mack Myers of Kinmundy has lived with a hereditary neurological disorder his entire life, and he credits the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for helping him cope with the disorder that’s affected him since 1947.
-
Area unemployment inches higher
Unemployment rates increased in nearly every area county last month, according to monthly statistics released this week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
-
Local historians want to preserve, relocate bowstring bridge
The old Flensburg bridge is a rare glimpse into days gone by, though the modern-day resident has to use some imagination to see the bridge’s historical significance.
-
Drug checkpoint questionable
Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 57 near Kinmundy Tuesday morning drove through a drug interdiction checkpoint — the first-ever in Marion County — even though the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a dim view of similar efforts.
- More Local News Headlines
-
