Small Town News

Wren Pierson bids look good

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Cheney City Council could make award at Tuesday night's meeting

Bids came in $100,000-$200,000 below estimates for the Wren Pierson Building community center reconstruction at a Cheney bid opening Nov. 16.

Bouten Construction's low bid of $1.3 million was under review and pending City Council approval Tuesday would be awarded the project.

"It's a relief to be through the bidding process," parks and recreation director Paul Simmons said. Simmons' department was evacuated from the Wren Pierson Building following a roof collapse in January 2009.

After a failed bond to build a new community center at the 50-acre park, council decided to reconstruct and renovate the more than 60-year-old building. The multipurpose room, which collapsed under record snows, will be rebuilt and several interior rooms will be reconfigured to create a conference room, secure entry, front offices and a revamped senior center, kitchen and teen center/preschool.

The one alternate on the bid was for lower level interior improvements, which were not ensured in the original plan due to cost. The lower level once housed community resource centers like Cheney Outreach, the food bank and the clothing exchange, as well as equipment storage.

Bouten Construction, based in Spokane, specializes in medical construction but has worked in several different fields. Bouten was one of the contractors that completed the Spokane Convention Center expansion. The firm also completed a renewal project of historic Carpenter Hall on Washington State University's campus, which included installation of new electrical and mechanical infrastructure and redesigning interior spaces, according to their website. Bouten has previously worked with Wren Pierson Building architecture firm Bernardo Wills Architects.

Simmons said he was happy with the response to the project. Eleven bids were accepted, ranging in cost from $1.3 to $1.6 million.

"The bids were all kind of in a consistent range," he said, adding that the similar estimates made him think they were all relatively realistic.

If council approved Bouten as the project's contractor, they would have to complete a range of paperwork, including insurance, bonding and permitting before proceeding with construction. Simmons said he hoped they could begin in early December and construct the walls and roof of the multipurpose room before winter weather sets in.

"It's going to be weather-dependant," he said. "We're excited to continue moving forward on the project."

City Council's action on the project will be covered in the Dec. 2 issue of the Cheney Free Press.

Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.



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