Carson City board paves way for construction of animal shelter

Construction of Carson City’s new animal shelter should start soon due to the Board of Supervisors awarding a contract Thursday to build the $4.2 million facility.

The low bid was submitted by Shaheen Beauchamp Builders LLC at $3 million, but with a 10 percent contingency for flexibility that takes it to $3.33 million if necessary, and additional features beyond construction taking it to the $4 million figure. The board voted without dissent to award the contract to the low-bidding local construction firm. There were seven bids.

“Shovels could go in the ground in about four weeks,” said Darren Schulz, city Public Works director, after the board’s action.

A bid protest challenging whether Shaheen Beauchamp had submitted a responsive bid, which was filed by K7 Construction prior to Thursday decision, wasn’t taken up by the board because the protest was pulled.

“The bid protest was withdrawn by the protestor,” said Adriana Fralick, Carson City’s chief deputy district attorney of the DA’s civil division. K7 had submitted the second lowest bid and challenged Shaheen Beauchamp’s bid as unresponsive, contending the low bidder failed to timely submit a list regarding subcontractors. The K7 bid was more than $3.1 million.

The new, 10,741 square foot animal shelter facility is planned for a 1.5 acre site on the city’s east side in the vicinity of the current aging shelter. The $4.2 million budget is more than $3 million in construction, $270,000 in contingency money, $250,000 for fixtures, furnishings and equipment, almost $461,000 for design, testing inspection and the like, $100,000 for permitting and utilities, and $85,000 for owner-furnished items for construction.

Revenues to back it include nearly $4 million from the infrastructure tax account, which relies on the one-eighth of a penny sales tax hike last year, $193.777 from the Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI), $59,323 in other donations and $225,000 from the Nevada Humane Society to cover most of the fixtures, furnishings and equipment. The society runs the shelter and handles animal services on a contractual basis for city government.

Among other items Thursday, the board ordered city Treasurer Gayle Robertson to sell, after proper notice and procedures, 28 properties for amounts not less than back taxes, costs, penalties and interest. The city could later decide to take one or more of the properties if there is a public interest, and though this paves the way for such sales, some of the properties may be protected from sale under bankruptcy law.

The board also voted to finalize action and take the deed of land along Russell Way where the multi-purpose athletic center (MAC) is being built next to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada. The land had been owned by that club. The city has a MAC joint use agreement with the club. The MAC is expected to be finished in December.

The board voted to make the final payment of more than $250,000 to Sierra Nevada Construction, Inc., on the East-West Transmission Main (water line) Project through Mills Park, a project that cost about $2.1 million and is geared eventually to linking with the Quill water treatment plant on the west side.

The board also determined Sierra Nevada Construction is the low of five bidders for another phase of the same project, which is going to extend to Phillips Street. The low bid on this new phase was for more than $1.5 million, with more than $155,000 in contingency flexibility, and Sierra Nevada Construction was awarded the contact in the same motion.