Bid for duplexes far below estimate
Megan Alexander — Staff WriterFAIRMONT - A bid was accepted Monday to rebuild four of 10 apartments destroyed two years ago by fire at Friendship Village public housing.
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority met Monday and hired Wilcon Construction of St. James for a project set to begin this spring.
For $385,000, Wilcon will excavate the site where a dilapidated house and garage stand on Prairie Avenue and 10th Street and build two duplexes in their place.
The project's price tag is almost half what the architect, Engen Associates, had estimated. The authority was pleased but cautious, wanting to make sure no unexpected expenses are missing from the bid. Wilcon's projected costs came in much lower than its six competitors' bids, with the closest at $415,000, and ranging up to $492,000.
"They do a lot of this type of thing," said assistant city administrator Mike Humpal, noting similar projects Wilcon has done in Mankato and St. James.
The project has other costs beyond paying the contractor, such as the architect's fee of $32,000, land for $32,500 and necessities such as correcting problems with soil conditions.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is allowing the authority to spend $640,900 on the duplexes, so plenty of money will be available to account for unforeseen expenses.
According to its bid, Wilcon will complete the project within 120 days of its start date. The authority wants the work to begin no later than May 1.
