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Under budget and ahead of schedule [UPDATED]
Published 11:07am Monday, October 8, 2012 Updated 11:07am Monday, October 8, 2012Things are moving along well in the construction of the new Fergus Falls police station — so well, in fact, that the construction is about a month ahead of schedule and around $250,000 under budget.
That’s according to City Engineer Dan Edwards, who said that a confluence of good construction conditions have made for smooth sailing so far.
“They haven’t had any real significant delays at all,” he said of the contractors, adding that good weather and a cooperative, quick handling of unforeseen circumstances have contributed to the project’s success. “It’s just one of those projects right now where it’s come together.”
The original planned move-in date was in early summer 2013, said Edwards, putting completion of the building itself in February or March. Currently, construction could finish by the last week of January or the first week of February, leading to an earlier move-in once furnishings and partitions are in place.
“We’re probably a month, month and a half ahead of where we thought we’d be,” he said.
The project is also currently under its construction budget of about $3.75 million, plus an additional $100,000 in contingency money. Edwards said that while there have been a few unforeseen costs (including the removal of an underground storage tank the city wasn’t aware of), contractor Ebert Construction’s bids were already well under budget, allowing for a nice cushion between the budget and the contract. The original bid allowed for more than $300,000 in contingency.
Currently, contractors are putting the finishing touches on the exterior of the building, including concrete pouring and weather-proofing.
“They’re trying to get the building sealed up so they can really start the interior work,” said Edwards.
Work on the roof and pouring concrete for the building’s floors are also in the mix. Edwards acknowledged that unforeseen circumstances could still push the project’s completion back, but he said the situation has worked out well so far.
