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The Troup County Board of Commissioners awarded a construction contract to River City Contracting of Fortson, Georgia at its Tuesday meeting, following the recommendation of county staff.

River City will serve as construction manager (CM) at-risk for the project, the new extension office on Pegasus Parkway. 

CM at-risk is a delivery method that differs from a hard bid. The firm providing CM at-risk services serves as a consultant to the owner (the county) in the design development and construction. The CM at-risk also oversees subcontractors to get the project built. In a hard bid, the owner and architect complete the project plans before advertising a bid. 

Competing construction firms had objected to the county’s application process at the county’s work session on Nov. 12. Jay Johnson of Principle Constriction asked why the estimated cost of his firm’s proposal was different from what they had submitted (county staff recommend the lowest bid). 

Staff informed Johnson that Principle’s bid had been lower due to the firm estimating a four-month timeframe. Staff determined each firm’s cost per month and applied them to a 5.5-month timeframe, reasoning that the firms themselves did not have enough information from the request for proposals (RFQ) to project a timeframe.

David Hawkins of Freeman & Associates, another firm that submitted a proposal, said at the work session that he accepted the results of the bidding process. 

But he also said the county should not have allowed Principle, which submitted missing numbers after the deadline, to do so.

In other business, the county approved the acceptance of a Georgia Emergency Management Agency grant for the sheriff’s office. The grant, which does not require matching funds from the county, will be used to purchase a K9 vehicle and police package for $49,000.

In other action, a final plat was approved for Dove Creek subdivision, where five lots will be built.

The Parks and Recreation Department was given approximately $35,400 to pay for repairs made to the indoor pool system at the Mike Daniel Recreation Center. The repairs were needed after pipes on the building’s roof were damaged.

The county lifted the hiring freeze for two budgeted positions that need filling. One is a part-time solicitor in the solicitor’s office, the other is a coordinator for Troup Transit.