More than 35 construction bids on the new Albion Fire station were opened and read at the Fire Hall Monday night, March 3.
Many contractors were on hand to watch the bid opening on the 170 x 75 foot structure that will be built this summer on the north side of Highways 14-39 just east of the city limits.
After reading the bids, architect Michael Kennedy of Gretna said he is happy with the amount of interest shown by contractors. Many companies submitted bids for portions of the work, and Kennedy will be reviewing the bids in detail during the coming week. He plans to recommend bids for acceptance by the Albion City Council next Tuesday night, March 11.
Kennedy told the contractors he might be calling them to find out more details about their bids.
“I will have to determine if there are any ‘holes’ in the project where no bids were entered,” Kennedy said. “For example, we didn’t receive any bids for interior hardware.”
The total building size will be 170 x 75 feet, but there will actually be two sections and two roof lines. The larger portion of the building, 75 x 120 feet, will house the fire vehicles and equipment. The smaller portion, measuring 70 x 50 feet, will house the meeting room, restrooms and other facilities.
The project is being financed by a one-half-cent sales tax, which was approved by Albion voters in 2006. The tax has been in place since October of that year, and raised about $82,000 in the first 10 months. The sales tax is designated to continue for a 10-year period.
