By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission voted to accept a bid for $7.169 million for renovation of the Ellis County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Kansas City-based MW Builders submitted a base bid of $5.5 million with two alternates, which brought the total cost to a little more than the $7.167 million construction estimate.

Ellis County Administrator Greg Sund said the first alternate, the remodel of the courthouse, is one of the top priorities of the project.

“That truly is the courthouse renovation,” Sund said. “I think that was the intention when we worded this to the voters, that we were going to renovate the courthouse.”

The second alternate is for the remodel of the Law Enforcement Center’s new entry and first-floor office.The renovations will be funded through a sales tax approved by voters in 2013.

Sund said this will allow for a more efficient use of space in the building.

In all, there were six alternates sent out for bid, but only the first two were chosen.

“I wish we had the money to do all of it,” Commission Chairwoman Barb Wasinger said. “We have to work within our budget.”

The architect on the project, Andrew Pitts from Treanor Architects, said the next step is to begin contract negotiations with MW Builders and develop a timetable for construction.

In the bid, MW Builders said it would take 325 days for them to complete the project once started.

The county still is searching for temporary office space for courthouse and the county attorney staff, as well as law enforcement personnel.

The county initially had planned on negotiating a lease for the former N.E.W. call center building. Concerns over keeping staff separate because of privacy and ethical issues, however, has the county searching for another location to house county attorney and law enforcement staff. Courts are expected to move to the basement of the 718 Main Administrative Center.