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October 23, 2012

Nederland council to seek bids for new city hall project

Mary Meaux The Port Arthur News

NEDERLAND — Solicitation of bids for the Nederland City Hall project got the green light by councilmembers Monday.

Council had approved the design with the exception of the inside layout and the relocation of the restrooms due to the reconfiguration of the city clerk, mayor and human resources offices, City Manager Chris Duque said.

Bid opening is set for Dec. 6. Duque thinks council will award the bid at the Dec. 17 meeting.

The new city hall will feature a unisex restroom for the public and a men’s room and two ladies rooms for staff.

Councilmember Don Albanese said he is pleased with the layout.

“I told Chris (Duque) that they have to live down there, and if they’re happy with it, I’m happy with it,” Albanese said. “But I don’t like change orders.”

A change order is a process that occurs when there are changes in the scope of work agreed to by the entities involved. A change order can involve additional work or the deletion of part of the work and can occur when unforeseen issues pop up and can change the contract amount and/or completion date.

A representative of LaBiche Architectural Group Inc. was at the meeting and told council change orders are normal but that LaBiche stays within budget.

The new city hall, to be at Atlanta Avenue and 12th Street, will be about 4,800 square feet and feature the same decor of nearby buildings on Boston Avenue. The estimated price is $1.1 million.

City leaders have pondered the idea of a new city hall for several years before they learned that Nederland Fire and Rescue was awarded a $2.1 million Port Security Grant. The problem is that city hall is sandwiched between the police and fire departments in the same Boston Avenue building.

The city hall project is separate from proposed upgrades to the public safety offices.

Funding for the new city hall will come from the sale of bonds plus budgeted money.

mmeaux@panews.com

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