Parks and Recreation Director Steven Folks opened bids for the proposed center Tuesday. Three times the usual number of bidders applied for the contract.
Birmingham-based CW Woods Contracting submitted the apparent low bid for the aquatic center, and improvements on some of the athletic fields at McClellan,at just more than $4.5 million.
The bids for the project ranged from $4.5 million to $5.35 million. The large difference isn’t unusual when you have so many contractors bidding for a project, said Jay Jenkins, architect with Monroe Jenkins, the firm that designed the new facility.
Twelve contractors turned in bids. Typically, the city might receive three to five bids for a project, but the down economy has created more competition, Jenkins said.
“We’ve been seeing jobs bid with 20 and 25 bidders,” Jenkins said. “We’ve got folks from as far away as Slidell, La, holding plans. … We’ve got contractors from Birmingham, Gadsden, Huntsville, Columbus, Ga, Anniston, Carrollton, Ga.”
The slowdown in construction has motivated contractors to reach further out for the jobs that are available, said John Nolen, project manager for Gadsden-based Boatner Construction, one of the bidders for the project. The increased competition may benefit the city as hungry companies adjust their profit margins to accommodate more bidders.
The city should break ground on the project Oct. 18, Folks said.
The project will be funded from Recovery Zone Bonds created by the federal stimulus package. Calhoun County had a $6.5 million allocation of the bonds and Anniston requested the entire amount for the center and infrastructure work in the city.
The project will double the size of the Miller Gymnasium, adding an eight-lane competitive pool with bleacher seating for 175 and a sun deck. The existing gym will get a concession stand and a new locker room. It will also include a fitness center in the new facility to replace the one that is next to the gym. The project also includes additional lighting on one of the football fields and a soccer field, resurfacing the track and the existing basketball court.
“I think it’s a great thing for the city,” said Councilman John Spain, whose ward includes McClellan. “We expect regional and even national events to come there.”
The location at McClellan will also allow for growth if the need to expand the center arises, he said.
“The place that makes the most sense to put it, where we have property and buildings and centralized athletics is at McClellan,” Spain said. “They have done a great and wonderful job of designing it so that we fully utilize the existing buildings to the extent that we can.’
The city council will discuss the bids at its next meeting on Sept. 14
Contact staff writer Laura Camper at 256-235-3545.
