Renovation of a municipal facility in Montrose, Colorado. Completed plans call for the renovation of a municipal facility.

https://www.montrosepress.com/news/county-taps-stryker-and-company-for-renovation-of-administration-building/article_42c1a698-f3ee-11ec-ab14-13d95e84ae9d.html The path towards renovation of the Montrose County administration building took a step forward on Thursday. Montrose County commissioners approved a $2.8 million contract to Stryker and Company, a general contractor, for permitting and renovation of the building. The 2.8 million is a non-budgeted expense. Stryker's breakdown of work it expects to complete mostly includes interior finishes such as a new roof, reframing of interior walls and other improvements, said Scott Stryker, president of Stryker and Company. Exterior upgrades are also planned. Stryker will consolidate the water meters, and, to provide handicap accessibility, will formalize the entrance off S. 2nd St. with a ramp and new steps. The contractor will also complete utility work, including implementing a four-inch fire suppression line off of Cascade Avenue. Work on the project is expected to commence on or after Thursday with an estimated completion date of February 28, 2023, though Ken Norris, facilities director for Montrose County, noted it is possible that timeline is extended with material and equipment costs elevated. Stryker said the company is likely to start demolition at the building between July 11 and 15. The renovation project has been years in the making. The county completed design work of the project over the past two years while calling for requests for proposals to execute the plan. Stryker and Company had the only responsive bid and after its initial proposal, the contractor brought in an additional consultant for an asbestos check. The consultant found small quantities of asbestos in the basement but large portions were absent in the roof. Asbestos-containing materials won't be used during renovations -- a clause in the contract states that type of commodity must not be used, but it's mostly moot: the material is no longer on the market, Stryker said. The contract also has a two-year warranty following completion of the project, which allows the county to call on Stryker if it encounters issues within renovations. "It seems like we do contractor renovation and then 10 years later we come back and have to do something and we find we have asbestos that we have to mitigate," County Commissioner Roger Rash said. "(The warranty and lack of asbestos materials) are two things that stuck out to me." Stryker said over 72 percent of dollars from the $2.8 million will be kept locally, which Rash deemed another bonus of the contract. There are a few subcontractors from Grand Junction that will work on the project, but most will be from Montrose. Rash added the county also sought renovations because of ADA issues -- he mentioned reports of people tripping in the building. "We have a lot of elderly folks that come into our building," he said. "This will be much safer." "I'm glad to see this finally coming to fruition," County Commissioner Sue Hansen said. "We've talked about it ever since we've had the team here so it's really good to see this move forward." The project is viewed by county officials as the next step towards future renovations within the old county courthouse, which houses the clerk and recorder's office. That office and its staff are set to move into the administration building once renovations are complete. "The commissioners are still looking at all the options, budgets trying to figure out how to make (courthouse renovations) work," Montrose County Communications Director Katie Yergensen said. "Ultimately, this admin building renovation is providing a better and more accessible space for the clerk and recorder. They need more space." The county was issued $7.725 million through Congressionally directed funding, known as "earmark" funds, for courthouse renovations. That funding comes from Sen. John Hickenlooper's inclusion of $100 million in a $1.5 trillion spending bill that passed both chambers of congress in March. The $100 million is funding 64 projects in Colorado. The earmark funds won't pay for the entire renovation but the county can use money from the American Rescue Plan Act and accruals from the capital fund. The Montrose County courthouse renovation project is the second largest among Hickenlooper's spending requests. The county originally requested just a little over $11 million. "(The courthouse) is such an integral part of the community," County Commissioner Keith Caddy said during a March meeting. "I think right now is the most opportune time and we've seen an opportunity and we're going to take it to give it life again. I think it really needs it." Josue Perez is a staff writer for the Montrose Daily Press ____________ Montrose County Administration Building Renovation Montrose County is accepting sealed proposals from qualified firms or individuals for permitting and renovations to be performed at the Montrose County Administration building located at 317 S. 2nd Street, Montrose, Colorado. Questions must be submitted via e-mail no later than 5 PM on Monday, May 23, 2022 to: Kenneth E. Norris, P.E., knorris@montrosecounty.net; & Jennifer Murray, jmurray@montrosecounty.net. Late questions will not be accepted. The Board of County Commissioners may award the contract to the vendor based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the Request for Proposals. In reviewing the proposals received, the County reserves the right to reject, for any reason whatsoever, any and all proposals, and to waive any informality or irregularity in a proposal. The award of contract may be based on the complete proposal or any component thereof. The County reserves the right to negotiate with any finalists to maximize the value of the proposal to the County. The County reserves the right to reject all bids. The action to award a contract is subject to approval by the Board of County Commissioners. The submission of a proposal by any vendor does not in any way commit the County to enter into an agreement with that vendor.