Big Bend CC workforce education building bids over estimate

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College officials have an apparent low bidder on the project to build the college’s new workforce education center. But the bids came in higher than the estimated cost of the project.

Lydig Construction, Spokane, was the apparent low bidder, with a base bid of $42.8 million. Vice-president of construction Linda Schoonmaker said the bid was about $5 million over the estimate. That was the base bid only, she said. The project does include options for construction on the second floor, but the $42.8 million bid doesn’t include any of those.

Because about $35.26 million of the construction funding is coming from the state, the company’s bid documents are being reviewed by state officials. “It could be a couple of weeks, while that fact checking is completed, before we have an actual contract,” Schoonmaker wrote.

The base bid is for the construction of a 70,000-square-foot building with a partial second floor, and demolition of the existing automotive building.

The state funding for the project requires demolishing spaces that are being replaced, which include the current welding shop and industrial systems facility. The aviation maintenance building also will be demolished, but will be rebuilt at the site of the auto shop. Schoonmaker said BBCC will have to come up with the money to demolish those spaces.

The base bid includes construction of the second floor, but all the finishing for the second floor is in the alternate options. The alternates also include a building for hazardous materials and a wash bay for large vehicles.

Big Bend had raised about $6 million for the project, and has about $5.5 million left, Schoonmaker said.

State funding for the project was approved in the 2017 capital expense budget, but the budget was held up in a dispute over water rights. College officials spent some money to keep the project on track in the meantime.

At the trustee meeting April 12, trustee Anna Franz asked about making up the shortfall. Schoonmaker said the BBCC Foundation will be raising money, and that college officials will be looking for grants from other sources, including federal sources. According to a fundraising feasibility study, the foundation could expect to raise a maximum of about $3.5 million for the project, Schoonmaker said.

Workshops for the automotive, welding, fabrication, maintenance mechanics and industrial systems technology programs will be located on the new building’s first floor, with computer science and transfer-degree STEM programs on the second floor, when it’s finished. Four classrooms will be part of the first floor.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.