The Garden City Telegram
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College to pursue Collins project
Published 12/11/2009 in History Page
By ALESA MESCHBERGER
Staff Writer
The price tag for an addition to Garden City Community College's John Collins building went up last night.
But trustees decided to go ahead with the $1,442,000 project. Trustees voted 3-2 to approve construction of the building after hearing from Dennis Smith of D&D Builders.
Trustees Lon Pishny and Ed Rutter opposed the decision. Mary Beth Williams, Dan Baffa and John Nanninga voted for it.
D&D Builders will construct a 16,000 square foot pre-engineered steel building for $1,442,000, Smith said. Total cost of the project will reach $1,598,062, including architectural fees and some materials to be installed by the college.
"Because the board did vote in favor of it," Pishny said, "I am certainly supportive of going on ... the concerns I raised during the meeting were tied more to financing than anything."
Initially trustees approved only $1.3 million from capital outlay and general fund reserves to finance the project. Last month the lowest bid came in at $1,735,000 from D&D Builders. Trustees asked D&D to try to decrease costs by considering a steel structure rather than masonry work. They also eliminated a tunnel connecting the building to central air and a hot water system in the John Collins Vocational Building.
Trustee Williams said she voted for the project because it will help solve space problems on campus.
"I just think we are so cramped for space out there, and we have looked at so many alternatives," Williams said. "Anybody who has toured out there has seen how crowded we are for space."
The college plans to use capital outlay and general fund reserves to pay for the project through a lease-purchase program.
GCCC asked voters Aug. 2 for a one-mill property tax increase to pay for the project. It failed by 270 votes.
"I am still in favor of the technical education ... my concerns were centered more on the financial issues of this particular project," Pishny said.
Trustees will consider a final contract with D&D in their noon Dec. 21 meeting.
The addition will be located north of the John Collins building where technical programs are based. It will include four classrooms and two labs. Building the structure provides room for the growing John Deere Ag-Tech program and allows the Industrial Technology Program to add ammonia refrigeration training.
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