Jefferson City's Sircal Contracting Inc. will build the new Lincoln University/Parks and Recreation Wellness and Multipurpose Recreation Center on LU's campus.
LU, which will oversee the construction project, announced the $11,569,803 contract Tuesday morning, after the documents were signed late Monday. Curators approved the deal, subject to final negotiations, during a closed-session conference call on Dec. 4.
The Parks and Recreation Commission approved it during a closed session Dec. 8. The commission's vote was unanimous on the motion to enter into a contract with Sircal "with the understanding that $400,000 in cost savings would be negotiated."
Under Missouri's Open Meetings/Open Records law, a public announcement of a contract isn't required until a contract is executed, or all proposals are rejected."
The notice to proceed was dated Tuesday, so Sircal can begin its construction work at any time, LU spokeswoman Misty Young reported, "possibly as early as this week."
Sircal's original bid predicted completion of the project by Jan. 30, 2017, while the other bidders' proposed completion dates ranged from March to May 2017.
The LU news release announcing the construction contract also said the construction "is slated to be substantially complete by Jan. 30, 2017."
In the news release, LU noted Sircal offered the lowest and best bid in terms of pricing and completion schedule, as well as minority- and women-business enterprise participation.
The final negotiated contract amount is lower than Sircal's original base bid, $11,606,000 - fourth-lowest when the bids were opened Nov. 19.
The lower base bids were Orf Construction, Bridgeton, $11,376,000; GBH Builders, Wright Construction and BAM Construction, $11,432,000; and Verslues Construction, $11,502,000.
But officials said from the beginning that alternates likely would change the final decision, and the final contract includes four sub-alternates:
• Softball field, $299,000;
• Scoreboards, $63,000;
• Floor/wall tile, $62,000 and
• Additional wood athletic flooring, $65,000.
With the sub-alternates added to the base bid, Sircal's total bid would have been $12,095,000 - so the negotiations cut $535,197 from the total to reach the contracted price.
The planned 79,000-square-foot building had an estimated cost between $11.4 million and $13.6 million.
LU and the commission together have $11.1 million available for the collaborative project, including a $1.5 million line of credit approved by the Jefferson City Council last December, at the parks commission's request.
Both Lincoln University and Jefferson City's Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department will contribute additional resources for a facility benefitting the community and university, the news release said.
"Both Lincoln University and Jefferson City Parks and Recreation have worked hard to see this project become a reality and this contract puts us so close to that," LU President Kevin Rome said.
And Denise Chapel, the Jefferson City Parks Commission's president, said: "After many long hours of planning, the awarding of this contract means this much-needed facility is coming to our community in the not-too-distant future."
Both boards in September approved a contract agreeing to combine Lincoln's plans for a wellness center and the parks commission's long-time desire for a multipurpose facility.
The building will be jointly owned and will be built on the south end of Lincoln's main campus, along Lafayette Street opposite the Jefferson City High School complex.
It will house four basketball courts, a walking track (around and above the courts, similar to the walking tracks at the Jefferson City YMCA's Knowles and Firley centers), common/concessions areas and an LU-controlled second floor with a fitness area, classrooms, offices and a game suite.
The contract between LU and parks also spells out some details of how the building will operate, while other details of the day-to-day operations still must be determined.
The Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson City will build its new facility nearby, and also is expected to have some use of the new Wellness Center building.