During a called meeting, Nov. 22, county commissioners awarded a nearly $2.2 million contract to Penland Builders to construct a 17-acre Clay County Schools Sports Complex. The facility is expected to be open by late fall of 2020.
Penland’s contract is for $2,194,209 plus an alternate bid of $561,089 to construct a multi-purpose indoor practice facility. Commissioners wanted a separate bid on the building because it may or may not be included in the complex, depending on final costs.
Commission Chairman Rob Peck emphasized that the contract is contingent on financing. He also called Penland’s bid “negotiable,” explaining that the county still plans to find ways to save money on the project through “value engineering.”
Penland Builders, owned by former commissioner Robert Penland, edged out competing bidder Cotton Builders by only $1,191 on the main complex. Cotton submitted a bid of $2,195,000 plus an alternate of $632,000 for the practice facility.
Rounding out the bidding was Ledford & Parker Grading which submitted a bid of $2,611,960 on the main complex and an alternate of $632,000 for the indoor facility.
Grading was apparently a big factor in construction costs with one bidder estimating it at $1.3 million.
The county had budgeted $2 million for the project. Projections from the designer ranged from $1.7 to $2.3 million. Larry Lackey, president of CEtech Associates of Franklin, is the engineer.
The complex will be located on county-owned property off Myers Chapel Road, down the hill from the Clay County Care Center. It includes varsity softball and baseball fields and bullpens. Home team dugouts will have locker rooms.
The complex includes a two-story building centrally located between the men’s and women’s fields, which will house the concession area, bathrooms and press box.
The main level will be used for concessions and include a covered concrete pad area. The upper level includes storage areas, a press box and an open/covered camera deck with concrete flooring.
The proposed multipurpose practice building is a 100 feet wide, by 125 feet long and 24 feet in height.
Once construction is complete, the facility will be under the management of the Clay County Board of Education.
Also regarding the sports complex, commissioners gave the go-ahead to begin soliciting bids for installment financing proposals for the project. Peck said the bids will be revealed Jan. 2, 2020.
Commissioners Scotty Penland and Randy Nichols did not attend the 8 a.m. meeting, but with Clay Logan, Dwight Penland and Peck in attendance, the commission had a quorum for these votes, among others.