LACIE SILVA
Editor
During the Marion County Commissioner board meeting, an agenda item regarding the approval of bids for Phase II of the Marion County RITE Technical Building at Chattanooga State in Kimball was discussed. Mayor David Jackson introduced the item and explained that this phase of the project would support the expansion of the nursing program at the facility.
The board received bids from several contractors, including FTM Contracting, JJ Contractors, OLG Services, and Chevy Construction. Oakland Design, the project’s architectural firm, recommended awarding the bid to JJ Contractors for $3,475,400, despite their bid not being the lowest. Chevy Construction had submitted the lowest bid at $3,309,370, but their bid packet was missing critical documents required for a $2 million Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant. Specifically, they failed to include SAM.gov registration, a certification of non-boycott of Israel, and compliance with the Iran Disinvestment Act, all of which were mandatory for consideration.
Mayor Jackson supported the architect’s recommendation to award the contract to JJ Contractors, noting that Southeastern Development District also endorsed the decision. He emphasized that the project would not require any property tax dollars, as it would be funded by the $2 million ARC grant and $2.1 million in lease payments from Chattanooga State, which had been consolidated into one line item.
Commissioner Schaffer made a motion to accept JJ Contractors’ bid for $3,475,400, which was seconded by Commissioner Thompson. The board voted unanimously to approve the bid.