TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a construction management contract for Project Alpha, a new emergency operations center that will house the county’s 911 dispatch and emergency services.
The board authorized the chair to execute an AIA Document A133 standard form agreement with Cunningham-Limp, the project’s construction manager at risk. The vote came after a detailed progress update from developers during a regularly scheduled board meeting.
The project’s design phase is now complete. Architects and civil engineers have finalized construction documents and specifications, and bid invitations have gone out to roughly 400 subcontractors. The team said it is actively contacting those firms to secure commitments and answer questions about scope and scheduling.
Bids are due within approximately two weeks. Cunningham-Limp representatives said they will use a leveling process to ensure all submissions cover comparable scopes before making recommendations.
The full project team plans to review bids in an open meeting March 9 at 2 p.m. Cunningham will then present a proposed guaranteed maximum price to the Board of Commissioners at its March 18 meeting. The current working budget for the building is approximately $20.6 million.
Commissioner Andrews pressed for details on how the county would verify that individual line items making up the maximum price are reasonable. Developers said the process is designed for full transparency and that the building authority, the county’s consultant Group and civil counsel have all been involved in reviewing contract terms.
Andrews also asked about the county’s local preference policy. Developers said invitations were sent to local subcontractors and that the county’s 5% preference will be applied. He cautioned, however, that some specialty work may require firms from outside the area, particularly given competition from other large regional projects, including work at the airport and a field house.
The contract includes an 8% contingency calculated against the total cost of work.
County administration said the figure was developed through internal discussions and input from Spicer Group. Any use of contingency funds will be tracked through no-cost change orders and reported to the building authority, developers said.
Several construction milestones are advancing. Midwest Geothermal completed a test well drilled to roughly 500 feet, and the data will inform the building’s geothermal heating and cooling system. Plans are being submitted to Garfield Township and the county for permit review, with turnaround expected within a few weeks. Discussions with DTE Energy about a required easement are ongoing, with the utility’s design expected within two weeks.
The team also met with green suppliers about a rain garden for the site. That feature will be budgeted separately because it will not be finalized in time for the March guaranteed maximum price.
Commissioners raised concerns about costs falling outside the construction contract. Technology infrastructure, networking, furniture and equipment needed to operate the 911 center are not part of Cunningham’s scope and represent significant additional expenses.
The county’s 911 director told commissioners that a building is of limited use without the computers and phones needed to handle calls. Staff members are developing cost estimates for equipment and provisioning and plan to present those figures at a future meeting, the director said. The team noted a six- to eight-month lead time for fiber and networking work, though redundant fiber connections are already being planned.
County administration said it is aware of the additional costs and working to coordinate budgets and timelines so the building does not sit empty after construction wraps.
Andrews requested that building authority meeting minutes include detailed payment information, including amounts paid to each subcontractor.
The building authority is scheduled to meet every fourth Tuesday to review pay applications submitted by Cunningham-Limp. Those applications will include a continuation sheet and sworn statement breaking out each subcontractor’s billing, contract status and percentage of completion.