Bids for ag center to open
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 28, 2016 1:45 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A crew from Bridge Point installs storm water piping Thursday at the Maxwell Regional Agriculture and Convention Center.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A crew from Keen Plumbing discusses plans before getting back to work Thursday at the Maxwell Regional Agriculture and Convention Center.
Bids will be opened Thursday, Sept. 8 for the $18 million Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
Wayne County commissioners will probably recess their Sept. 20 meeting until Sept. 22 to allow more time to review the bids before awarding the contract, County Manager George Wood said.
"At that point we will know the total price on everything," Wood said.
As construction manager at risk for the project, T.A. Loving Co. of Goldsboro will be awarded the contract and in turn subcontract the winning bidders, Wood said.
As construction manager at risk, T.A. Loving provides construction management services and guarantees construction costs.
It also provides services that may include preparation and coordination of bid packages, scheduling, value engineering, evaluation, pre-construction services and construction administration and works closely with the architect, HH Architecture of Raleigh.
Commissioners earlier this summer adopted a resolution of intent to reimburse the county for any payments made prior to borrowing the money for the project.
"So we will go ahead and use our own money," he said.
If the contracts are awarded in September, the first bills would not be expected until mid-October, Wood said. The financing would not start until the first of the year.
Wood said the county is pleased with the progress being made at the site on North Wayne Memorial Drive since the July groundbreaking that was attended by more than 300 people.
Overall construction is anticipated to be completed by January 2018.
"They are making great progress, but we have run into some bad soil," he said. "That was not unexpected."
The possibility of soil issues as drainage and sewer pipes are laid had been planned for because of the area's high water table, he said.
But it has been more of an issue than expected, he said.
Normally a cubic yard of fill dirt costs approximately $18.
However, it is only costing the county $7 because it is using dirt from its Dudley landfill. The cost is actually that for transporting the "good" dirt to the center site and bringing the "bad" dirt back to the landfill, he said.
The landfill is a natural borrow pit, and while the dirt from the construction site is not suitable for backfill it is fine to use at the landfill, he said.
The center is being built on a 12-acre site on North Wayne Memorial Drive just north of Wayne Community College.
Goldsboro is providing the land as part of an agreement with the county. An adjoining city-owned six acres remains as the site for a possible hotel and restaurant.
The center will house the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Wayne County Soil and Water and have classrooms and a large lobby.
The center will be 1.5 acres under roof, and its assembly hall will seat 800 in a banquet setting and more than 1,500 when set up for a speaker.
It will hold 70 booths for a trade show or similar event.
The assembly hall also can be broken into four rooms of different sizes to accommodate crowds of 190, 210, 380 and 494 respectively.
The county has set aside $4 million for the project. It also has applied for USDA loans/grants totaling $2.6 million.
The 10-year, zero-interest loans account for $2 million of the total. The county also plans to seek federal funding.
The project will receive $1.5 million from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.