Wheeling about to break ground on hall

Wheeling officials are getting their hardhats and shovels ready.

The village board announced plans Monday to break ground Oct. 15 on the new village hall.

The announcement came at a special meeting during which the village board voted to guarantee a maximum price to the project's construction manager, W. B. Olson Inc.

Olson, which is not only managing but also performing the construction, is guaranteed as much as $16,703,674.

The figure includes the money paid to subcontractors as well as the construction manager's fee.

If the work comes in at an amount greater than the maximum, Olson would be responsible for the difference. If it comes in below the fee, the savings would be shared with the village, with Wheeling getting 70 percent of the pie.

Village Manager J. Mark Rooney said the cost of the 53,872-square-foot building is $255 per square foot.

"This is our last hurdle," Trustee Ken Brady said. "The next thing we do is probably stick a shovel in the ground and have at it."

Brady said he was pleased that the bids for construction came in below estimates.

David Olson, president of W. B. Olson Inc., said the guaranteed price is for the plans and specifications as they are currently designed and drawn.

There are a few things, though, that could cause the guaranteed maximum price to go up, he said. Those include unforeseen conditions, such as excavating an old foundation that needs to be broken up.

Rooney said the maximum price does not include construction costs for associated road and traffic signal improvements. Other costs, such as furniture and equipment, could push the estimated cost of the building over $20 million.

"I think this is long overdue," Trustee Robert Heer said of the new building. "Everybody knows that this facility has overserved its time. Employees have been very cramped in this building."

Construction is expected to be finished by the end of January 2009.