The low bid on the plumbing allowed the project to come in below the budget and allow some alternatives to be reinstated. However, the plumbing bid came in five hours late (none of the bids had been opened) and County Prosecutor Chip McConville informed the board that they were able to waive that irregularity and accept the bid.

There was also some question about whether the plumbing bid included the final connection of the gas line, but the bid was still the lowest, even after adding the possible amount needed for the full connection.

Board member Don McCracken said it was both the lowest and best bid and in the public interest to accept it.

Thomas and Marker Construction will be the general contractor. The plumbing contract was awarded to Ohio Plumbing of Columbus, the electrical contract to C.S. Electric of Pataskala, and the HVAC contract to Eagle Heating and Cooling of Pataskala.

The overall cost came out to $782,195, which is $15,472 under budget.

The total also included three alternatives which were reinstated: An EMS washroom and toilet, a kitchen hood and an emergency generator. Chief Joe Porter said that if finances allow, other options that were left out could be reinstated or added later as separate projects.

The money left above the bid amounts will be available for some required preliminary work, including an original building inspection, soil tests (for things like contaminants and soft spots) and any remediation needed.

Two major items deleted from the original project to lower the overall cost, were the equipment storage area behind the main vehicle bay, and the sauna.

Attending Thursday’s meeting were board members Tom Stewart and Don McCracken, Fire Chief Joe Porter, incoming Chief Mark McCann and Joe Weithman, representing Mull and Weithman Architects Inc. A representative of the contractor, Thomas and Marker, was on a conference call, as was McConville when he was available.

The third board member, Dick Litzenberg, showed up later to get filled in on what had happened.