When: Mount Joy District Council Meeting, Jan. 6. Council member Lu Ann Fahndrich was absent.
What happened: The council voted 6-2 to award contracts to build a new municipal services complex at Grandview Park, 300 Orchard Road. Council members Brian Youngerman and Mathew Crider disagreed. Neither responded to requests for comment on why they voted against the project.
Background: The proposed building, with an estimated 13,000 square feet of space, will house county administrative offices, county police and the Mount Joy Borough Authority. The council voted in August to issue municipal bonds to maintain financing for the complex.
More: The district solicited construction bids in May, but the bids exceeded the cost estimate from architects Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates. In August, the council rejected all bids and directed the Ad Hoc Construction Committee to revise the specifications to reduce costs and re-tender the construction to the new specifications. The district received lower offers in December.
Construction contracts: The council voted to award these contracts: $5.8 million to eciConstruction for general construction; $975,000 to North Bay Mechanical for HVAC; $667,950 to Garden Spot Mechanical for plumbing; and $1.8 million to HB Frazer Company for electrical work. The council authorized Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates to advance services, plans and documentation and authorized PFM Financial Advisors to submit requests for proposals for financial services.
Based on the numbers: The total cost of the project is $10.96 million, including incidental costs such as fees, furniture, insurance, etc. This is a reduction from $11.75 million from the first round of bidding, said Josh Deering, chairman of the ad hoc Construction Committee at the council meeting on December 2nd.
More: The project is funded by $6.7 million in state and local grants and loans through a municipal bond. The bond loan totals $12.9 million as it also allows for financing of other highway, stormwater and park projects.
Next step: Municipal bonds will be offered for sale in February, with funds available through March. The proposed project's original completion date was March 31, 2026. Officials did not provide a new completion date.
Dates: The Council made the following administrative appointments: Ned Sterling to the Zoning Board for five years; Jill Frey for two years as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Commissioner; Jill Frey as Right-to-Know officer for two years; Mark Pugliese as Deputy Right to Know Commissioner; Mitchell Scordo to the Planning Commission for one year; Priscella Gibson is commissioned to plan for a year; Chris Metzler, member of the district board for five years; and the county of Lancaster as tax collector for one year.