Washington County facility improvements likely to exceed ARPA money

WASHINGTON — Several hours of meetings over the last few weeks have led Washington County Supervisors to the conclusion that renovations for the County Engineer’s office must run alongside Orchard Hill, county courthouse and McCreedy Building upgrades, even if the expanded scope exceeds the local government’s $4.1 million of federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA.)

Although Orchard Hill’s once-contentious changes work out to roughly $3.385 million, the work also entails $91,875 in improvements at the McCreedy Building, which would store various items currently housed at the complex on Lexington Boulevard, as it’s equipped for more staff.

The trouble is, the McCreedy Building space is currently the county engineer’s office. Building a new one, closer to the rest of the department’s employees, would run at least $802,000, according to the latest estimate provided by Carl A. Nelson & Company Dec. 16. That figure doesn’t account for courthouse renovations also included in the facility improvement plan, which add up to over half a million dollars on their own, according to the same set of estimates.

The possibility of a cost overrun still lingers as well. Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said he worried the contractor’s price forecasts might prove too optimistic.

“Those figures are strictly based on industry estimates of square footage cost for work of this kind, and is not necessarily going to be the final cost once we put it out to quotes and bids,” he said.

Still, county supervisors said they’d find a way to make all the above pieces move at once, even if the work can’t all be funded solely by ARPA money. Regardless of cost estimate accuracy, none at the meeting expected a new engineer’s office to fall within the sum of the federal cash.

"When we started having this conversation a long time ago about what direction we were going to head, it always included something for the county engineer,“ Supervisor Marcus Fedler said. ”Whether it was going to be part of the ARPA funds or not was always a question, it’s pretty clear now that it’s not … but we’ve always had it in mind that (County Engineer Jacob Thorius’) office is up on the square and not at secondary roads. It’s not ideal for his department for him to be a half a mile away from where his guys are.“

That leaves the question of where the money to build such an office would come from.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius has previously said his department had already saved up around $600,000 to help finance the work. At Tuesday’s meeting, he said the county could delay or revise $500,000 worth of grading and ditch improvements planned along 190th Street, just east of Vine Avenue, to free up more cash. A short-term loan, paid back over 5-10 years, represents another alternative floated by officials to pay for the proposed $802,000 office and $424,000 garage.

“To be honest, I had hoped all along that the board would be able to find some funds to help with this process, partly because the overall plan being talked about requires me moving out of my office,” Thorius said. “But I realize where we’re at with the budget, I realize the requirements that have been forced down on us by the state.”

A vote to proceed with the building’s construction passed on a 4-1 tally Tuesday morning, with a caveat that the engineering office and garage may be broken into separate phases, as funding constraints require.

Supervisor Stan Stoops was the sole decision-maker in opposition. He said he worried the county had too many other high-priced, high-priority irons in the fire to promise a new engineer’s building at the moment.

“We do not know how much the radio tower is going to cost us in Wellman, that is a major issue,” he said. “That is for the whole county, that is not for one man’s office. We don’t know what that’s going to cost us, (or) if they’re going to put it up or we’re going to put it up … then there is the wiring in the courthouse, that’s not been decided yet, and I’m concerned.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com