Robin Hilber
Contractors have found some savings for Turning Point Domestic Violence Services’ shelter remodel.
The Columbus Board of Works approved a change order from Taylor Brothers Construction Co.
“They actually have a reduction of $14,400 as they’re trying to trim back some of the expenses for that, because they are concerned that there are going to be some other things that they find along the way that might cause them to increase,” said Assistant Director of Community Development Robin Hilber.
She wrote in a memo to the board that Taylor Brothers has proposed eliminating items for the first floor ADA restroom and the second floor restroom and shower, which will reduce their contract from $232,700 to $218,300.
The city of Columbus has allocated $232,618.23 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the project. Hilber said at a previous meeting that Turning Point is contributing $6,000. An addendum to the city’s subrecipient agreement with the organization, which was approved in April, outlined the following project budget:
- Turning Point renovations — $232,700
- Renovation contingencies — $918.23
- Labor standards monitoring —$5,000
The board initially opened bids on the renovations in February. At the time, even the lowest base bid was almost $100,000 more than the $149,000 in CDBG funds that the city initially planned to contribute to the project.
In March, the city opened a new round of bids after the project’s architect made certain changes to the the plan in order to reduce costs. However, the lowest base bid, which was from Taylor Brothers, still exceeded the city’s planned contribution, so the board of works voted in April to increase the city’s contribution to the project.
According to Turning Point President Whittney Loyd, the organization’s shelter currently has 25 beds and is expected to add 15 more through this remodel.
