By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved the hiring of an architect to begin working on designing and renovating two county buildings at Monday’s meeting.
The commission approved Ben Moore Studios of Manhattan to begin work on the buildings at 601 Main Street and 2507 Canterbury Drive.
The building at 601 Main currently houses the Health Department and the Ellis County portion of the Cottonwood Extension District. The location on Canterbury will be the future home of the county health department. Officials hope to move into the new location by the end of the year.
Ellis County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the county received seven proposals from architectural firms to renovate the two buildings. A committee made up of representatives from both the Extension district and the health department reviewed the proposals and selected Ben Moore Studio.
According Smith-Hanes, construction for the two projects is expected to cost between $450,000 and $500,000. Ben Moore Studio’s fees are 7 percent to 8 percent of the construction costs and are expected to be between $31,500 and $40,000.
Commissioner Dean Haselhorst served as the construction manager on the renovation projects at the courthouse and law enforcement center and for the construction of the emergency management services building, he said he was not comfortable with not knowing the exact cost of architectural fees.
“I’d just seen in the past how that’s a floating number, and I know which way the floating number goes,” Haselhorst said. “I don’t like a floating number from past history.”
Ben Moore from Ben Moore Studio told the commission Monday his firm would present the commission with a final number when the scope of the project is defined, but said he was comfortable with working a lump sum fee.
Moore is using some local entities to complete the project, and Smith-Hanes said some of them have already done some work on the 601 Main location.
Smith-Hanes said at 601 Main the drainage issue is the top priority.
“The water remediation is probably the single most important thing we can do for that site,” he said. “Then if we get nice new paint and a kitchen and some other things, those would be wonderful things to have. But stopping the water is job one.”
The Public Building Commission issued bonds in 2013 to remodel the Administrative Center at 718 Main. The 601 location was also covered under those bonds. There is $265,000 remaining from the revenue bonds and the county has set aside an additional $30,000 for construction.
The county also set aside approximately $200,000 to pay for renovations at 2507 Canterbury Drive. Those funds were approved when the county purchased the building in June.
Smith-Hanes said county staff will work on a contract with Ben Moore Studio and bring it back before the commission.
“These are projects that we are hoping to get done soon,” said Smith-Hanes.