MANSFIELD —Getz Builders of Mansfield was one of three finalists for a design-bid project to build a new Mansfield Police Department indoor classroom training facility.
When the other two finalists dropped out, thankfully the $303,400 proposal was in line with what the city had in mind for the project on Miller Parkway.
“We didn’t have a direct idea going in, but we had a $300,000 budget that was advertised,” assistant city engineer Stephen Risser said Tuesday during a city Board of Control meeting.
“A design/build process is a little different than the normal design/bid process, but we felt the $300,000 was a very good number,” he said.
The board — comprised of Mayor Tim Theaker, Finance Director Linn Stewart and Safety-Service Director Lori Cope — unanimously approved the project on Tuesday.
The plan will now go to City Council for consideration, perhaps as soon as June 1.
Risser said the city began by soliciting qualifications for the project from 27 contractor and design professionals. He said 12 expressed interest and the city used a criteria-based process to select three finalists.
One of the finalists dropped out due to a death in the family and a second pulled out because the size of the ultimate project was not large enough to meet their construction efforts, Risser said.
A design/build project, typically faster than the traditional design-bid-build process, combines the design and construction of a project into one contract. Under Ohio law, the designing firm and construction contractor become a team, working concurrently on the design and construction phases of a project, expediting delivery.
The time savings in design build projects comes from eliminating the lead time necessary to contract a designer, and then accept bids from contractors to build the design. Projects move from design to construction much faster through the use of the single design/build contract.
Funds for the project will come from the MPD building/grounds/maintenance budget, according to police Chief Keith Porch.
If City Council approves, Risser said the city will meet again with Getz officials to begin the design/pre-construction phase of the project.
When the $44,000 outdoor gun range was dedicated in October 2019, Theaker said a building with a classroom and storage facilities was planned for the site in phase two in 2020.
The project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of things that happened last year were because of COVID,” Theaker said.
The new facility will have bathroom facilities, currently unavailable at the shooting range.
The city’s plans, which will require City Council approval, call for a 10-year bond issue to pay for the project at 2.27 percent interest through Key Bank government finance. The interest payments add another $37,879 to the price of the building.
