TREASURE ISLAND \u2014 City commissioners hope the second time\u2019s the charm, with the board unanimously selecting staff\u2019s second choice to construct a Public Safety building on 108th Avenue, after the first contractor dropped out of contention.<\/p>\n
Public Works Director Gary Volenec noted following an extensive evaluation process, three firms were shortlisted and invited to present proposals to the city\u2019s review team. Based on the final rankings, CORE Construction Services of Florida was initially selected as the top-ranked firm, followed by Biltmore Construction second and Bandes Construction third.<\/p>\n
At the March 3 City Commission meeting, the commission authorized a contract with CORE Construction to proceed with the project.<\/p>\n
However, on April 9, after multiple coordination meetings with city staff, CORE Construction submitted formal notice that it would be unable to deliver the project within the budget and schedule established in the RFQ, Volenec told commissioners.<\/p>\n
At their April 21 meeting, commissioners then unanimously authorized termination of the Design-Build Contract with CORE Construction, and awarded the contract to Biltmore Construction Co.<\/p>\n
Volenec reminded commissioners there were key elements of the RFQ: firms were asked to agree to a target budget with a guaranteed maximum price of $8 million, and for the chosen firm to agree to a 16-month design and construction schedule.<\/p>\n
At the kickoff meeting \u201cwe stressed the urgency of the project, as well as our cost constraints to the contractor,\u201d the Public Works Director noted.<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez noted Core, the city\u2019s first choice, then \u201ccame back with a price well over what was originally budgeted. \u201c<\/p>\n
According to the staff report, Core\u2019s estimated price reflected a project cost of approximately $12.6 million to $13.7 million with additional charges resulting in a total project cost ranging from $14.5 million to $15 million. Brent R. Elliott, Core vice president, told city staff; \u201cbased on our preliminary cost estimating and schedule evaluation efforts to date, we have determined that the current RFQ budget and schedule parameters are not feasible for delivery of the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volenec told commissioners, \u201cit was apparent our trajectories weren\u2019t aligning, as far as budget or schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n
On April 9 the contractor asked to terminate its bid request.<\/p>\n
Volenec added, \u201cwe reached out to Biltmore Construction, the second ranked firm, and they indicated a willingness to meet the RFQ objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
He advised commissioners \u201cBiltmore Construction has shown incredible adaptation to our needs and responsiveness.\u201d He explained right after that initial meeting, the contractor had a precast contractor at the site, \u201cevaluating a fast-track foundation package and getting precast foundation panels to the site.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volenec said the facility will be precast off-site. For example, the wall segments are fabricated off site, with windows and doors cast into it and the project is assembled at the site. The contractor already has the floor plans developed that meet the city\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n
Volenec predicted, when constructed, the facility will be a Category 5 building, able to withstand the strongest hurricane.<\/p>\n
He told commissioners construction should start in summer.<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Vasquez noted \u201cwhat I don\u2019t want to happen is a stall, because this has been drawn out so long, so that\u2019s obviously my biggest fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The public works director said the cost should come in as close to the desired $8 million as possible. The city will still be able to depend on $1.5 million that was granted by the state last year, and potentially receive an additional $4.5 million from the state this year, in summer.<\/p>\n
The new contractor will provide the city with an estimated project cost in about 30 days; Commissioners will then decide how to fund any cost overruns, which could include borrowing.<\/p>\n
While city commissioners have deliberated for several years on a site to locate a new fire station, hurricanes Helene and Milton caused extensive damage throughout the island, causing devastating damage to the police and fire station on 108th Avenue. Originally constructed in 1958, the facility was deemed a total loss, requiring both departments to relocate and operate from temporary facilities.<\/p>\n
The new public safety facility will have a ground floor, plus two elevated office floors. The facility will include a public entry lobby, staff entrance, elevator, secure entry control, antique vehicle display area and space for a gym.<\/p>\n
The second floor fire station crew level will include: office space, sleeping quarters for firefighters, a dayroom, kitchen, laundry, storage, EMS supply, restrooms and showers. Third floor will house police administration, with office and administrative suites, interview rooms, records\/storage area, a conference room, break area, and restrooms<\/p>\n
The adjacent flood proof fire apparatus bay at ground-level will be sized with three drive-through apparatus bays, and include room for gear storage and workshop\/support areas, SCBA and equipment rooms, a decontamination\/clean room and medical supply storage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TREASURE ISLAND \u2014 City commissioners hope the second time\u2019s the charm, with the board unanimously selecting staff\u2019s second…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[109393,596,202,204,203,199,201,200,2151,109392],"class_list":["post-249834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-core-construction-services","tag-pinellas-county","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-treasure-island","tag-treasure-island-public-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}