JACKSON HOLE, WYO – It took a while, but it looks like Jackson Hole Fire/EMS made some headway yesterday toward its planned remodel of Station 1 in Jackson.
Fire/EMS has been pursuing a remodel of the main station since 2012. After securing funds totaling $9,300,000 via SPET in 2014 and 2016, department heads have been stymied with the financial process to get the work done after initial bids came in higher than anticipated.
Fire Chief Brady Hansen said the work to be done at Station 1 was a “considerable renovation” that would make the facility useful for decades to come. He also felt comfortable with a bid from Y2 Consultants received by the department.
“I perceived a lot of concern and apprehension previously about unknown costs in the renovation, so we rebid the two projects as one,” Brady told the commissioners and councilors at Monday afternoon’s JIM.
After reworking the scope of the project—which calls for major renovations at Station 1 as well as building an interim temporary facility at the fairgrounds pavilion for use during the remodel—Fire/EMS received two qualified bids.
A joint board of county commissioners and town councilors yesterday approved entering into a contract for construction work with Y2 Construction dba Wapiti Construction. Y2’s bid was the lower of the two at $6,543,700 ($5,443,900 for Station 1, $1,099,800 for temp station at the fairgrounds pavilion). GE Johnson’s bid was $10,446,134 ($8,559,210 for Station 1, $1,886,924 for temp station at fairgrounds pavilion).
Elected officials were convinced Fire/EMS could cover the total project cost including the fixed owner costs of $7,025,700 with SPET appropriations—doing so with a little breathing room should the project go over budget. Any funds left over would go toward design costs for the relocation of Station 3 (Hoback), slated next for the department.
Jackson Fire/EMS combined the bid packages for Station 1 and the temporary fire station to ensure the full project scope and budget were known, and to assist the elected officials in their decision-making.
Several additional fixed costs are also projected for the project. Jackson Hole Fire/EMS intends to hire an Owners Representative to oversee the construction process and provide weekly reports based on percentage of completion, pay applications and OSHA compliance throughout both building projects. The anticipated start date for the owners rep is June 1.
The Board of County Commissioners and Town Council both voted unanimously Monday to move forward.
