NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council approved the bid for the new fire station at 23rd and Main during its meeting on Tuesday. The bid came in well over the original estimate of $4.5 million, but the costs are considerably above what was expected when three fire stations were approved all the way back in 2015.
"We have a lot different set of circumstances now," said Lynn Schwartzkopf with Mann and Company Architects. "Sid mentioned steel prices. They have really gone up. Guess what we have in our building? Steel roof, light gauge steel studs, bar joists, steel in the concrete."
Councilwoman Sara Bagwell didn't like voting for something that costs 16% more than was originally estimated, but at the end of the day, it wasn't about the fire station individually, but the budget generally that she wanted to speak.
"The government printed out so much money," Bagwell said. "They just flooded the market with tons of money. It's something like 60% of all money that's been printed that's circulating now happened in the last two years. We are going to suffer with inflation and we just don't know how bad it's going to be. That's going to come down to our budgets and so I think as a council, what we really have to work on now is how do we keep the mill levy where it's at?"
Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho doesn't want to bond the additional cost beyond the original engineer's estimate of $4.5 million.
"I do not want to further encumber future bond and interest levies with an additional $46,000 a year," Piros de Carvalho said. "That really impacts our CIP. If there's a way we can find to take some kind of reserves, I would be more comfortable with that. I don't know how the rest of the council feels and that's probably not a discussion for today."
The final number in the motion was a not to exceed amount of $5,275,364.