Recommendation made on bids for Teeters Field remodel
Teeters Field looking toward the south where the current bleachers and concession stand are currently. The city of Kellogg is exploring options for building a new concession stand on their historic field.
Photo by JOSH McDONALD
KELLOGG — On Wednesday evening, the Kellogg City Council heard recommendations from engineering firm Alta Science and Engineering concerning a pair of bids that they received in regard to the Teeters Field concession stand project.
The city received two new bids for the project, but both came higher than the expected per-square-foot estimates.
The proposed 800-square-foot building came with an estimated cost of $200 per-square-foot, but the bids received came in at $340 per-square-foot and $491 per-square-foot. The city’s engineering firm believes that the council should reject them.
“The prices came in surprisingly high,” said Derek Forseth with Alta. “Those are really high and I don’t think they are fair for the city. The building is pretty simple, these types of buildings are all over the area.”
Forseth believes that the current market is to blame for the bids coming in where they did.
“We just didn’t get a lot of interest from contractors and we really don’t know why — other than they seem to be busy,” Forseth said. “They seem to be tied up with other projects and just haven’t had interest in the pursuit.”
The current structure is haphazardly placed just a few feet away from the west end-zone of the football field, making it difficult and unsafe for spectators and athletes alike. It also houses the field’s restroom facilities.
This was the second time that the city put the project out for bid after rejecting a higher than expected one in July, where they believed that the cost increases were the result of issues surrounding the foundation.
The original plans called for cutting out some of the existing concrete sections where bleachers are currently set and installing a traditional footing, but there were concerns over getting equipment moved in to break up the concrete and then remove it.
These concerns led the architects to being more open to altering their plans, including the foundation design.
Members of the City Council were concerned by the lack of bids, but Forseth had advised them to re-bid the project, promote it, and allow more time for contractors to look at it.
Craig Lewis, the city of Kellogg’s superintendent, stated in July that the decision had been made to retool the building plans and rebid the project in the fall of this year- which were the bids that they were recommended to reject on Wednesday evening.
“I think we need to put it on hold for now and try to figure out something else,” said Kellogg City Councilman Terry Douglas.
The Shoshone News-Press will continue to follow this story.