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City adds almost $1M to project

Marquette’s new Municipal Service Center at 1100 Wright St. is under construction in this photo taken this morning. It’s expected to be completed in June and ready for operation by the fall, officials say. (Journal photo by Mary Wardell)

MARQUETTE — The Marquette City Commission approved an amendment to the new Municipal Service Center construction project at its regular meeting last week to include a salt barn and other high-priority items, officials said.

The design-build amendment will add more than $800,000 to the cost of the $18 million municipal service project. Commissioners and staff agreed the increase is needed for additions such as a salt storage building and truck underwash system, which were left out of the initial construction plans in order to keep costs down.

Commissioners voted unanimously to support the amendment.

City Manager Mike Angeli said with the June completion date approaching, staff reviewed items originally taken off the construction list that still needed to be done.

“Of utmost importance is the salt barn, which is the bulk of this cost at about $700,000. We needed a salt barn. We’ve always needed a salt barn and through the whole process, we were anticipating (using) some of the contingency money and/or some of the sale money leftover from the sale of the old property,” Angeli said. “As of right now, we have adequate funding in both, and I hope to even have some leftover when we’re done, but at this point, we need to make these decisions so we can begin this construction to have everything up and running for the fall.”

According to supplemental commission materials, the city commission two years ago selected the design-build team Gundlach Champion and Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber for the construction and design of the new service center. In May 2016, the guaranteed maximum price for the project was established at $17.9 million.

In order to stay within the $18 million Brownfield-eligible budget, staff was required to put several items on a list of alternatives to be added if funding became available.

The total cost of the approximately six additional items is about $838,000, making the new total maximum project cost about $18.8 million.

Items noted in the materials are the salt barn for just under $700,000; the truck underwash at $82,000; radio equipment at $21,000; window blinds at $17,000; building signage at $16,000; and an RFID printer and other items totaling $3,600.

The city’s old Municipal Service Center on Baraga Avenue was sold for $1.4 million in 2015 to Duke LifePoint as the site of its new $300-million hospital project. The site of the new service center on Wright Street was formerly a parking lot owned by Northern Michigan University.

Commissioner Sara Cambensy, despite consistent disapproval of most things related to the hospital deal, said that’s not what they were voting on, and there is no way to build a cheaper salt barn — they looked.

“Hopefully this will be the last thing that comes before us before the service center is done,” Cambensy said.

Commissioner Mike Plourde said he was excited to complete the center.

“I don’t see any problem with all of this. What was done back in May for the $17,930,000 was to get the project moving, it’s moving very well,” Plourde said. “The public has had the opportunity to see what’s going on with the new service center, and it’s time to complete it, let’s finish it up. I thank the city manager and the staff for having the funding and not having to come back and ask for extra taxes or anything like that. They’ve got the money, so I say let them spend it.”

Commissioner Mike Conley said the city can’t lose half its salt pile to the rain and snow or let its trucks rust away.

“These are not luxuries, these are necessities,” Conley said.

Mary Wardell can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is mwardell@miningjournal.net.

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