Bids open for new Big Bend workforce building April 3

MOSES LAKE — Construction bids for the new workforce education building at Big Bend Community College will be opened at 1:05 p.m. April 3 in the ATEC building.

The 70,000-square-foot building will house the college’s technical education programs, with the exception of aviation maintenance. That program will remain in its existing location next to the runway at Grant County International Airport.

The workforce education building will be on Bolling Street, across the street from ATEC building.

Linda Schoonmaker, BBCCs vice-president of finance and administration, said a contract will be awarded within 30 days, and from the time of the contract award, the contractor has about a year and four months – 480 days – to “substantial completion.” Once construction is done the project supervisors walk through the building, Schoonmaker said, and the contractor has 30 days to fix anything they find.

Construction on the new aviation mechanics building begins after the main building is completed, and the contractor has about six months – 170 days – to substantial completion. Once it’s done, the contractor has 30 days to fix anything found on the walk-through.

The state is providing about $35 million of the construction cost. The way the building was funded requires demolishing existing structures housing existing programs, including the welding shop, auto mechanics shop and the building housing the industrial mechanics technology program.

The existing aviation maintenance shop will be torn down too. The new shop will be built on the site of the old auto mechanics shop.

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

The cost of the main floor will be paid for by the state construction money, but BBCC officials added a second floor, which will be paid for with locally-raised funds. Schoonmaker said there's enough money to build the second floor. “It just won’t be finished,” she said.

The bid package includes alternates to finish the second floor, but as alternates they can be eliminated from the scope of work.

The new building will take up the entire existing lot. Currently that land is vacant and is used as overflow parking during events at ATEC. Schoonmaker said there are plans to replace that parking lot, but it will require local funding.