Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Council members selected a bidder for the proposed Piedmont Fire Department expansion project during a special council meeting Thursday night.
W.L. McNatt turned in the lowest bid, $469,500 but during the March 26 city council meeting it was clear the price tag caught them by surprise. Mayor Valerie Thomerson requested a special meeting to give City Attorney Mike Segler time to review the contract and discuss the plans with Guernsey Engineering who provided the architect plans.
“I think that the council has indicated that this is a high priority for them and ultimately made the decision to swallow the pill no matter how much they disliked the cost and decided to get it done,” City Manager Jason Orr said Wednesday.
Based on the meeting, Orr said the price of the project is accurate in his opinion, which will cost $130 per square foot. The council hoped for a price closer to $350,000. As much as $350,000 will likely be financed with the remainder to be paid in cash.
Fire Chief Andy Logan was pleased with the news.
“We are very excited. We’re just thrilled with the opportunity that this will give us and we’re looking forward to seeing this come to fruition,” he said Wednesday.
Logan said he will meet with the contractors next week, so he does not have a projected completion date.
The project will include 1,200 square feet of living space, and three bay spaces for EMS trucks. The “bare bones” expansion, Logan said, will be up to all city codes and provide the department with option of creating an in-house EMS service.
