County Approves $633K Bid for Highway Shop Upgrades, Defers Standby Generator Due to Increasing Electrical Panel Costs.
- Steve Jurrens
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Commissioners voted unanimously to award a substantial commercial remodeling contract to Basin Construction & Tile of Hayti, South Dakota, for infrastructural modernization at the County Highway Shop. The authorized contract total of $633,521 covers core structural remodeling alongside two critical system overhauls, while a third planned alternative for a secondary facility-wide emergency standby generator was indefinitely deferred due to volatile pricing in the industrial electrical markets.
Highway Superintendent Randy Falvey and Project Engineer Adam Hanson of Banner Associates presented the formalized bid tabulations. Basin Construction & Tile submitted the sole bid for the highly publicized development. The construction package was itemized into a master base bid and three targeted structural alternatives designed to overhaul the aging compound:
Highway Shop Remodel Bid Breakdown
Component | Engineering Scope of Work | Contractor Bid | Board Legislative Action |
Base Bid | Structural wall framing, thermal sheet-steel insulation, major ventilation adjustments, concrete floor grading & drainage overhauls. | $449,521.00 | Approved |
Alternate 1 | Replacement of primary operational workshop overhead bay doors and industrial-grade automatic electronic openers. | $19,000.00 | Approved |
Alternate 2 | Full facility upgrade of the building’s electrical master panel boards and high-voltage distribution safety centers. | $165,000.00 | Approved |
Alternate 3 | Acquisition and concrete integration of a facility-wide emergency backup standby diesel generator. | $121,000.00 | Deferred |
Total Award | Combined Base Construction Contract plus Alternates 1 and 2. | $633,521.00 | Authorized Contract Execution |
During a detailed technical review, Engineer Adam Hanson explained that while the base construction costs and Alternate 1 aligned with original baseline projections, the cost allocations for the master electrical panels (Alternate 2) and the facility backup generator (Alternate 3) arrived significantly higher than anticipated. Hanson attributed the cost premiums to localized supply shortages and lead-time surcharges currently impacting commercial industrial electrical equipment.
Superintendent Falvey reminded the commission that the highway facility upgrade fund is strictly capped at $750,000—a baseline amount that must comfortably cover all physical building expenses, independent engineering fees, and third-party contracts. Accepting all three alternates would have pushed the county over its fiscal ceiling.
Hanson clarified that the commission could not selectively approve the generator (Alternate 3) while dropping the master panels (Alternate 2), because the facility’s legacy infrastructure cannot safely support the load of a modern generator.
The board accepted the base construction contract, along with Alternates 1 and 2, thereby completely removing the generator from the immediate scope of work. The generator may be rebid independently next fiscal cycle or executed late this year via a structured change order if surplus contingency funds materialize.
