By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Construction on a new Ellis County Public Works facility took another step forward Tuesday when the Ellis County Commission approved a contract for architectural design services.
Last June, the commission approved the purchase of 75 acres of land north of Hays to serve as the future home of the Public Works Department.
On Tuesday, the commission approved a contract with GLMV Architecture of Wichita for $256,921 to design the layout of the approximately 27,000-square-foot building and yard area. The cost of the design engineering services is based on a percentage of the total estimated cost of the project.
According to County Administrator Darin Myers, staff chose GLMV Architecture from eight proposals, using a quality based selection process. He said the decision to recommend GLMV was based not only on the fact that their proposal was the least expensive but also on quality of word done on similar projects.
“One similar facility, in Kechi, they did a public works facility down there and they’ve done multiple KDOT projects throughout the state that are very similar to our project,” Myers said. “So we know they have the experience.”
And because they also came in with the lowest price, Myers said, “You know that you are getting quality work for the lowest price.”
In December, as part of phase one of the project, representatives from GLMV met with members of the public works staff along with Myers and Public Works Director Brendan Mackay.
They presented the commission with conceptual drawings in February.
Myers said they expect to send the final project out for bid on June 1t. The commission could consider the bids in July with the construction taking a 12 to 18 months and move in date estimated in the later part of 2024.