Highway committee accepts bids for new Loyal, Owen facilities

If all goes according to plan, construction crews should have boots on the ground at the county highway department property in Loyal this spring. Last week Tuesday, the Clark County Highway Committee said yes to bids for new highway department buildings in Loyal and Owen. The new buildings are part of a multifaceted highway department facilities project, with upgrades in Neillsville, Loyal and Owen. On Jan. 31, the committee approved an overall project budget of $8,142,573, less than the estimated budget of $8,260,342 the committee approved in August.

“I couldn’t believe we were actually under budget,” said Clark County Highway Commissioner Brian Duell.

Part of the reason for the lower total was the highway department saved $75,891 by deciding to use its own forklifts rather than renting some.

Duell doesn’t anticipate the overall budget changing too much. The contractors are not allowed to amend their bids, but either have to sign or withdraw.

Back in October 2021, the county board approved an $8 million loan to update highway department facilities. Although the overall project budget stands at $8,142,573, more than the loan amount, that is factoring in a $150,000 contingency, “in case something doesn’t go as planned,” said Duell.

“If we have to spend out of the contingency, that will come out of the county highway department fund balance,” he added.

The project is being carried out in phases, starting with a fuel island and salt storage shed in Neillsville, which were finished late last year. Those two items cost $357,797 to build, after figuring in a $121,237 state reimbursement grant for the salt shed.

TheLoyalphaseisnextonthedocket.The26,850-squarefoot facility will serve a threefold purpose: storing trucks, housing administrative offices and providing space for maintenance and repair work on the trucks. The Loyal facility has been bid out at $4,506,256, not including the site work, which was already completed. Thirty-five contractors have been selected to complete various tasks. The three biggest expenses are concrete by Mid Wisconsin Concrete & Excavating for $645,095; electrical work by VOE Power & Systems LLC for $578,177; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) by PGA Inc. for $446,353.

The Loyal facility will be set back farther from Highway 98 than the current highway garage. The existing garage will be demolished and the driveway will go through that area.

“We were limited on driveway access. The state limits how many access points to the highway we can have. The new driveway will go where the old building is,” said Duell.

He said given the costs required, it wouldn’t be worth Highway,

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it to maintain the old building.

“If you’re looking at the long-term maintenance of the old building, once you shut off the heat and water, it’s going to deteriorate pretty quickly… It’s efficiency for one thing — to not maintain multiple buildings from the 30s and 40s. And it really provides very little space as far as parking goes,” he said.

Also, with the mechanical shop moving to Loyal, it will free up the existing mechanical shop in Neillsville to become a heated truck storage facility. So, the county will gain additional truck storage there.

It won’t be long before work begins on the Loyal site. “We are ready for concrete in the spring as soon as weather allows,” said Duell. “So far, no red flags have come up on lead times for materials.”

The Owen phase of the project will include adding a truck storage shed and wash bay. That is planned for 2024. That has a total price tag of $1,098,742. Many of the same contractors whose bids were accepted for the Loyal facility will also work on the Owen facility. The three most expensive line items are concrete by Chippewa Valley Foundations for $200,770; a pre-engineered metal building by Butler Manufacturing Inc. for $151,881; and HVAC by PGA Inc. for $127,440.

Ratsch Engineering of Neillsville and Excel Engineering of Fond du Lac have done the architecture and engineering for the project. The Boson Company of Marshfield is serving as the construction management company.

This graphic from Excel Engineering of Fond du Lac shows what the new county highway garage in Loyal is to look like. Not only will the building used to store trucks, but it will also have room for truck repair and administrative offices. Construction is planned for this spring.

CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC