Allen Countyto accept bidsfor new building

LIMA — It has been a lengthy process filled with design meetings, environmental studies and staff surveys, but on Tuesday, Allen County Commissioners approved a resolution to seek contractor bid submissions for the new county administration building in downtown Lima.

With the final building design proposal set to be posted for bid, commissioners are hoping to see things move relatively quickly when it comes to work on the site at the corner of North and Main Streets.

“What we did today is just another step in the process of getting this building up and running,” Commissioner Brian Winegardner said. “This will present the bid specs to be sent out for any construction firm that would like to see them, they will have a copy of those.”

The building, set to be constructed on the site of the former Hofeller, Hiatt and Clark men’s clothing store, would hold multiple county agencies, including the auditor, treasurer, recorder, buildings and grounds department and the coroner’s office. The project is expected to cost just under $17 million to complete, with the project completely funded thanks in part to funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Once the building specifications are published, the commissioners office will hold a pre-bid meeting on Aug. 21 to give prospective bidders the opportunity to get a fuller understanding of the scope of the project, including what design components are mandatory and what areas may have more flexibility.

Part of the costs for demolishing the current Hofeller building were covered through the Allen County Land Bank, and Winegardner anticipates that the public will begin to see movement on that portion of the project soon.

“We have to work in coordination with the demo, but our goal is November 1 for the start date for the building, so we’re looking at a demo sometime in mid-October,” he said.

Ideally, Winegardner said, it would be great to have local contractors working on this project, but there are multiple factors that will need to be considered once the Oct. 3 bid deadline is past, factors that go beyond lowest cost or company location.

“It has to be the best bid, as well,” he said. “There may be some bids that come back as the lowest, but is it the best bid? We’ll work with [design company] WDC and find the best bid that fits the county.”

The bid request will be posted at https://bit.ly/3X2xDF8.