Courthouse improvement project sees zero bids

     A project that would entail roughly $120,000 in mostly exterior courthouse improvements went out to bid recently, with zero interest from the public.

     During the Jones County Supervisors’ Oct. 2 meeting, County Auditor Janine Sulzner reported that no contractors submitted bids for the project. The scope of the project entailed work to the various entrances of the courthouse, as well as the property that the generator sits on.

     Chris Nelson with Shive-Hattery said after making some calls to area contractors, the biggest issues some of them had were the 21-day closure timeframe attached to the west entrance, and the non-stop rain, which postpones outdoor projects. Nelson said in addition, the $2,000 a day in liquidated damages may have been too steep for some contractors.

     “That was a little intimidating,” he said. “That’s steep for a $120,000 project.”

     The board asked Nelson for his recommendation moving forward, he suggested they package out the courthouse improvement projects differently as separate, smaller projects. “Or lower your numbers (liquidated damages) and lift the 21 days,” he said. The 21-day timeframe was based on calendar days. Nelson suggested changing that to working days to better suit contractors.

     As for putting in additional work to repackage the project, Nelson said it wouldn’t take much because 99 percent of the work has already been done for going out to bid.

     “It’s an easy switch to re-bid,” he said.

     He did caution the board about having three different contractors on site at the same time tackling three different projects/courthouse entrances.

     The project had an early start date of March 2019 and a late start date of April.

     “There’s no reason to put it off any further than May,” advised Supervisor Ned Rohwedder.

     The board will revisit the situation at their next board meeting.

In other county business:

     • Rose Rohr and Dave Balster with the Historic Preservation Commission met with the board concerning an issue with a board member.

     The board member in question, who apparently performed volunteer work for the Commission in the past, did some repairs to the Antioch School at Grant Wood Memorial Park. However, Rohr said the Commission received a bill for the work without authorizing the work.

     “We never had a circumstance like this,” she said of bringing the issue to the supervisors’ attention. “It’s a bit of a conflict of interest.”

     Balster said the big thing is that the repairs were never brought to their attention and never approved.

     The bill came out to $3,600, which the County Auditor said was half the Commission’s annual budget.

     The board urged the Commission to take the information to County Attorney Phil Parsons for his recommendation.

     • The board adopted a resolution for the Jones County Sheriff’s Office to apply for Level I user capability to the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS).

     Gary Schwab, E11, and Sheriff Greg Graver met with the board concerning the ISICS. They said in order for county law enforcement to effectively communicate with State Patrol, officers, investment in the system is necessary.

     Schwab is working on applying for grants to assist in the funding. He said what the grants wouldn’t cover, E911 is willing to help fund.

     • The board approved the hiring of Contessa (Tess) LeMense as the new Jones County Jail Administrator. LeMense would be replacing Mike Elkin who is set to retire soon.

     The early hiring allows LeMense to spend time training alongside Elkin before he leaves.

     Graver said they received 29 applications for the position, interviewed eight people, and narrowed it down to three from there.

     “It’s hard to replace someone who’s done this for 31 years,” he said of Elkin’s longevity.

     • The board approved a $500,000 funding agreement with the DOT for a bridge replacement project on Buffalo Road.

     County Engineer Derek Snead said this is the first project in which they will utilize their new drone technology.

     • The board approved the final voucher with Boomerang Corporation for the bridge removal on Shaw Road over the Wapsipinicon River. Snead said the final voucher was $36,800.