A 12-court illuminated pickleball complex next to Dunn Stadium should be substantially completed early this fall.
Eight contractors submitted base bids, as well as proposals for optional related projects, on June 10. For the last three weeks, county officials have worked with consultants from DLZ Indiana, LLC to review and evaluate all options.
On Monday, the Bartholomew County commissioners chose to award the contract to Case Construction Inc. of Edinburgh. After a mathematical error was corrected, the base bid from Case totaled $510,852, which is almost $64,000 below the second lowest bidder.
The commissioners also accepted a recommendation from DLZ consulting engineer Charlie Day that a separate proposal from Case be approved to provide site furnishings and amenities such as bleachers, bike racks and picnic tables. This proposal will cost taxpayers $62,366.
But the county decided not to accept another proposal that would have provided concrete courts, rather than asphalt, at an additional cost. That raises the total cost of the project to $573,218.
Costs are already running lower than expected. For example, the county is expected to save up to $100,000 by allowing crews from the Bartholomew County Highway Department to perform excavating, grading and other preliminary work.
When bids were opened last month, the commissioners expressed surprise that eight construction firms submitted bids. It wasn’t long ago that there were so many lucrative contracts within the private sector that local governments were pleading with contractors to submit bids on the less profitable public sector projects.
But with eight companies bidding on the pickleball courts, the commissioners were openly discussing last month whether there has been a slow down in construction within the private sector.
Day says he’s hopeful that Case Construction can begin working on the pickleball courts later this month. He also said the contract will state that work should be substantially completed by Oct. 15.
However, the consulting engineer said construction companies are finding it difficult to obtaining necessary supplies. And if south central Indiana receives above-normal rainfall, delays might be unavoidable, he said.
