BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Following the acceptance and evaluation of bids, Starke has selected the contractor for construction of the new entertainment pavilion at the Downtown Square — Scherer Construction.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Jimmy Crosby, modifications were necessary to lower the price of the project. He told commissioners the anticipation of the impending economy is already driving prices up 25%.
The city had pledged $800,000 in grant funding to erect the new state in the northwest corner of the square, but that left another $142,347 to cover. Crosby said $100,000 set aside in the budget for matching funds could be used to cover the cost, with the remaining money coming from a set-aside for park improvements.
The second and only other bid was $1.2 million. Scherer’s bid included voluntary alternates that the city took advantage of to lower the price. A vegetation screen on the back of the pavilion was eliminated from the design for potential inclusion later, and a standing seam roof system was swapped for a single-ply system.
Architect Paul Stressing said initial interest from eight contractors dwindled to just two.
“Mr. Crosby is exactly right. There’s a number of people right now that are terrified with the tariffs and locking in numbers and being accountable for those if things are going crazy,” Stressing said, adding that Scherer committed to honor its offer for the duration of the project.
Stressing shared the details of the project with the commission again, including the site plan, saying the design is like the pavilion in the town of Tioga but 25% larger. It is larger, has a storage area behind the stage, support for theatrical lighting and a and a screen that can be lowered for movie projections.
The existing stage at the opposite end of the square was not an option for the kinds of improvements they wanted to make, according to Stressing, who said they could not find any engineering plans for when the bandshell was erected more than a decade ago.
“There isn’t any existing engineering available and trying to get an engineer to add anything to that was extremely difficult to do,” he said.
Commissioner Danny Nugent asked about the inclusion of public restrooms as had been proposed in a prior project. Stressing said they could be added four around $60,000. Crosby agreed there was a need, but it would have to be addressed in a future phase of the work downtown.
Commissioner Bob Milner asked if the evaluation of the existing stage meant that it would be torn down, but that is not the case. Crosby shared ideas for the existing stage, including using it as a dedicated covered seating area for even sponsors or invited dignitaries.
Staff will prepare an agreement with the contractor, which will be brought back to the commission for approval.
