Oxford Township officials are expected to choose a general contractor to construct a new townhip hall at their Wednesday, Oct. 12 meeting ? if the price is right.
Officials are looking to construct a 14,024-square-foot, two-level municipal office facility on the northern portion of a nearly 28-acre parcel the township owns along Granger and Seymour Lake roads.
A self-imposed spending limit of $1.335 million will determine whether or not the township board moves forward with the project.
‘It all depends on how much the bids are,? said Trustee Charles Kniffen, chair of the Building and Site Committee, which is overseeing the project.
‘If the money’s not there, I for one am not looking to spend anything over what we’re allowed to spend,? said Trustee Doleen Behnke, who also sits on the Building and Site Committee.
Phase I of the township hall project calls for the construction of 7,012-square-foot upper and lowers levels, according to the building plan approved Sept. 13.
The upper level contains offices for the supervisor, clerk, treasurer and building and zoning departments, lunch room, small conference area and large counter space to accommodate residents.
Only 2,820 square feet of the lower level will be finished as part of Phase I. It will consist of four storage areas and mechanical rooms for building operations.
The remaining 4,192 square feet of the lower level will remain unfinished and unoccupied until such time as money becomes available for Phase II. This second phase would include finishing the lower level to become the new Oakland County Sheriff’s substation. The two levels would be connected by a stairway and elevator.
Phase III calls for construction of a 1,952-square-foot meeting room with seating for about 96 audience members. Again, this phase would not commence until such time as more money becomes available.
Eight prequalified general contractors were selected by the Building and Site Committee to submit bids for the construction project by 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29.
The bids will be opened at 3 p.m. that day and the three lowest packages given to the township’s architect, the Grand Blanc-based CHMP, Inc.
CHMP, Inc. will then determine if the bids meets all the township’s specifications and requirements.
The bids will then be submitted to the township board at its Oct. 12 meeting to possibly select a general contractor and proceed with the project.
But if all of the bids are more than the $1.335 million limit, the township board will have to decide whether it wishes to exceed the limit or stop the project entirely.
If the bids do come back higher than the limit, Behnke said, ‘it would be up to the board to decide whether or not they wanted to go forward with it or put a stop to it at this point.?
Kniffen noted that construction costs are increasing in light of Hurricanes Katrina’s destructive impact on the Gulf Coast. ‘I was out to Home Depot and OSB (oriented strandboad) went up 10 percent in the last five days,? he said. ‘The (bids) might come in too high and we can’t do it unless the board allots more money for the project.?
Kniffen explained that due to Hurricane Katrina and rising construction costs, none of the contractors will keep their bid open for the usual 90 days.
‘Normally, in a construction project, you can go out for bids and they’re good for 90 days,? he said. ‘But the way prices are rising, nobody’s going to keep them open that long. They’re talking 30 days.
Both Kniffen and Behnke noted the Building and Site Committee has kept a close eye on finances during the new hall’s design phase.
‘The committee that is working on it right now is very stingy,? Kniffen said. ‘We watch every penny.?
‘We’re trying to keep a very tight rein on everything so we don’t have to increase (taxes) on the residents,? Behnke said.
At present, only monies saved in the township’s Building and Site Fund and monies owed to it from the Water Fund are expected to pay for the new hall’s construction. Right now, those monies total a little more than $1.5 million.
The trustees agreed the current 2,200-square-foot township hall on W. Burdick St. is simply too small to house the current 14-member staff, let alone new employees in the future.
‘We’ve got one employee working in a closet right now,? said Kniffen, referring to employee Lori Exel, who’s office in the clerk’s department consists of a converted closet.
Kniffen noted that when meeting packets have to be prepared for say the nine-member planning commission, the floor gets covered in stacks of paper because there isn’t enough desk or counter space to work on.
‘We have people working in the aisleway,? said Behnke, referring to Planning Commission/ZBA Coordinator Barb Walkaus? work space. ‘That really should not be an office. It’s an aisleway.?
The current township hall is also too small in terms of storage space, particularly for records, which are all housed in the basement.
‘They’re not accessible,? Kniffen said. ‘Let’s say you want something from five years ago. You’ve got to move the last four years to get to it.?
The proposed new township hall offers ‘about 600 percent? more storage space, according to Kniffen.
Behnke noted the new hall’s elevator will make it easier to transport ‘heavy items? between the two levels, unlike the current hall which only has a set of stairs linking the two floors.
‘Right now, we have no wheelchair access for someone wishing to go down to the basement,? she noted.
Kniffen said installing an elevator at the current hall would not be possible without losing more of the already limited space. ‘We’d have to do away with an office to put in an elevator,? he explained.
In the end, Behnke said the main reason a new hall is needed is so the township can ‘make sure the public gets served properly, the way they should be.?