By David Fleet
Editor
Atlas Twp.- At a cost of $36,800 the township board of trustees OK’d by a 5-0 vote, NJB Architects Inc. to prepare the bidding and construction documents for the next phases of the township building renovations.
“There would no construction until the spring of 2019,” said Tere Onica, township supervisor. “It seems like a lot of money, but it’s a lot of work.”
There was no estimated construction cost until the projects are put out for bid, she added. The cost is for the design development, bidding and construction documents, bidding and award project and construction administration.
Phase I will be renovation of the existing garage area with a 640 square foot addition, into new township office space. Phase II will be the renovation of the existing township office area and kitchen with a 490 square foot addition, into the new community board room. Phase III will be renovation of the existing board room into conference and storage rooms.
The 4,500-square-foot township hall was constructed in 1980 and is a steel building with metal stud infill. Deficiencies in the building were reported by Davison based H2H Architects who assess the physical condition of the township hall during the summer of 2016.
In August 2017 the board moved forward with renovations to the township hall including reconstruction of exterior walls, insulation, repairs to the hall entrance way, foyer and reconfiguring the two bathrooms. The work was done by Swartz Creek based RBF Construction. The stone work on the front of the building remained the same. The township had budgeted $65,000 for building repairs last year. The costs included $6,669 for the roof, water softener and pest control. Last year the board of trustees voted 5-0 to amend the budget and move a total of $100,000 from the general fund to cover the shortfall of $89,879 in the building repairs budget. The total cost of the phase I project was $148,210.
Currently the offices are for township officials and the Genesee County Sheriff deputies that patrol the township. Bugs, water damage, a significant lack of insulation and non compliance with ADA requirements were just a few of the issues that were reported. In addition, the building does not have a fire suppression system. Other interior issues reported were floor damage due to leaks, storefront frame damage, no barrier free entry, no van accessible parking and no barrier free toilets.