VERONA – A contract “not to exceed” $5.5 million for the Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro animal shelter will be signed once the fine print is finalized.
The Augusta County Board of Supervisors approved County Administrator Timothy Fitzgerald to sign the contract once it’s been finalized. The board took the vote before the contract was finalized to allow construction to begin sooner, rather than having to wait until the next supervisors meeting near the end of July.
The animal shelter serves Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro. Each are contributing funds. The county is acting as the fiscal agent, meaning Staunton and Waynesboro do not need to ratify the contract as well before work can begin.
The bids came in higher than expected
The project bids were opened in February, each coming in higher than expected. Harman Construction, the low bidder, and the county worked on cutting things from the project to get the price down.
Harman’s initial bid was $6,809,271.50. The contract awarded last week is “not to exceed” $5,500,000. Augusta County’s portion of the contract is $3,735,304.