Renovation of Highland City Hall delayed by higher-than-expected bids

Renovation and restoration of Highland City Hall is slowly moving forward, as the council opted to hold off on the bids received earlier this month but will take it up at the next meeting.

City Manager Chris Conrad said bids were opened in early May. Five companies had picked up packets, but one dropped out and two others did not turn in their packets.

Two bids were turned in, but the results were expensive. Painting and a new roof included an additional $150,000.

“The pricing did come in higher than we expected,” Conrad said. “It was nearly double what we had anticipated.”

Conrad said that the staff planned to look at some financing options and bring back those options and recommendations for the bid award at the first June meeting. The council also discussed rejecting all bids and re-bidding the project, as demand is high for construction services right now.

“I personally hate to see it delayed anymore,” said Mayor Kevin Hemann.

Highland City Hall has been closed since Christmas Eve, when a water pipe burst and caused extensive damage to the interior of the building. City business has been conducted from the new public safety building and Highland Communications building, with city council meetings held in the Highland Area Senior Center on Woodcrest Drive.

The bids were held over to the next council meeting, contingent upon financing approval. Both bids were fairly comparable, Conrad said.

Once a bid is accepted, it will still be 170-300 days until City Hall can be used again, Conrad said.