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New Cairo Police headquarters to cost more than officials had hoped
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ARCHITECT Greg Smith reviewed the proposed project with the city council Monday night.
The Cairo City Council now know the maximum price it will cost to construct the new Cairo Police Department headquarters, and it is more than city leaders had planned.
Architect Greg Smith and PDC construction manager Doug Young presented the pricing to the council Monday night.
Based on recent bidding, the guaranteed maximum cost to construct the 12,500 square foot facility on Third Avenue N.W. is $3,697,023.
City officials had anticipated paying for the new police headquarters with the proceeds of the city’s sale of its CNS assets, but that leaves approximately $543,000 to make up from other sources of revenue.
Smith and Young noted that $80,000 of the cost is for contingency and if that money is not spent it is returned to the city.
Impacting the cost is the need for an underground storm water retention site that can retain water to be released at a predetermined rate, according to the architect.
Smith said the actual site is too small to construct a retention pond on-site and above ground.
Councilman Demario Byrden asked if city forces would do the work on the underground retention site in order to cut costs. Young did not recommend it and Smith said that it was a very technical, involved project to take on.
Another major cost is the construction of a retaining wall to replace an existing one between the city’s property and property owned by Windstream Communications.
Young told the council the hurricane last fall and recent tornado impacted the number of subcontractors who bid on the project.
“The subs just don’t need the work. Everyone is already so busy. We scraped the bottom of the barrel to get bids and some are a little higher than they normally would be,” Young said.
Young said that local subcontractors were the successful bidders for the concrete, aluminum trusses and fencing. “We always try to get as many local subs to bid as possible,” he said.
Smith also updated the council that he had redesigned the building to withstand even higher winds than originally planned so that the building could withstand hurricane force winds in excess of 105 miles per hour.
The guaranteed maximum price also includes extending elements of the downtown streetscape from North Broad Street down in front of the police station and then down the side of the building to Second Avenue N.W. According to Smith the elements to be included are the decorative street lights, and new sidewalks with brick pavers.
Young said that it would take approximately 14 months to complete the project. Councilman Jerry Cox noted that would stretch the cost over two fiscal years.
Young said he anticipates it will be 30 days before work will begin on site.
The council voted unanimously to accepted the guaranteed maximum price and instructed Smith and Young to proceed with the project.
In other business Monday night, the council:
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