COLUMBUS, Ind. — Two proposals for an extensive mechanical upgrade at the Bartholomew County Jail were considered Monday.
A base bid of $2,300,000 was submitted by Dunlap and Co. of Columbus that would cover the basic costs of replacing the heating, ventilation, plumbing and air conditioning equipment in the older section of the jail.
The first of four options offered by Dunlap would increase the bid by $79,000 for replacing the boilers; the second by $12,500 for providing piping connections for a temporary boiler connection; the third by $17,825 for cleaning the duct work in the administrative section of the jail, and the fourth by $142,450 for providing new HVAC controls.
A Bloomington firm, Harrell-Fish, Inc., was the only other contractor who submitted a proposal with a base bid of $1,865,568.
The Monroe County firm offered the same type of alternate add-ons, county attorney Grant Tucker said. Harrell-Fish offered to replace the boilers for $73,900 more; hook up a temporary boiler for an additional $12,500; provide duct-work cleaning for $17,500 and install new controls for $12,500.
County officials were disappointed that only two companies submitted bids on a project that has been in the pipeline for several years. However, mechanical engineer Josh Apling of the Indianapolis-based DLZ Indiana said most public infrastructure projects are only attracting two or three bidders this year.
“It’s a pretty active market out there in construction,” Apling said. “Especially on the mechanical side.”
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
