County Board Discusses Jail Renovations, Among Other Topics

Is the service of an architect worth about $124,000 for construction projects at the County Jail?

That was the topic of discussion at the Board meeting last week.

Joshua Mandell of FGM Architects explained that the services are needed to prepare specs for bidding. He said the 9.65 percent fee on the estimated $1.3 million construction cost is standard.

Board member Alan Hohlt questioned whether it was in the best interest of taxpayers to spent that amount, and board member Letisha Luecking agreed.

“We were over engineered on other buildings (referring to the Judicial Building and Court House renovation) and had to deal with the problems,” Hohlt said.

With a different viewpoint, Eric Brammeier said that architectural services are needed.

Building Chairman Gary Suedmeyer that he also recommends hiring an architect, who would work with the general contractor if problems arise. The service is especially needed because unexpected problems in renovations, said Suedmeyer.

The board tabled a vote, sending the proposal back to the Building and Finance committees for review.

The board also covered topics such as a need for a Dispatch Supervisor, adopted an ordinance requiring the County Treasurer to be the designee of all county bank accounts, and  Zoning Committee Chairman Vic Shubert informed the board of a proposal to increase the filing fees for zoning changes, plus updates from the Highway Dept., Treasurer and State’s Attorney, among other topics.

For full list of topics and details, pick up this week’s issue.