Yates seeks bids for county building project

YATES COUNTY--At the Wednesday, Jan. 25, Yates County Legislators meeting, Highway Superintendent Doug Rapalee presented the proposed budget for the new shared services building in Yates County. After much discussion, legislators authorized Rapalee to release six requests for bids as the project will be divided into six project areas: site work, demolition and maintenance, general construction, plumbing and fire protection, mechanical, and electrical. Each area will be bid separately.
Experts project that the proposed Yates County Highway Department/Office of Emergency Management Services/Public Health Facility will cost $26.3 million. During the meeting, legislators discussed funding sources, including the option to use funds in the building reserve (which totaled $20.4 million at the end of 2022). In addition, 2022 sales tax revenue came in $6.7 million over projections, which could be directed to the building reserve.
Rapalee fielded numerous questions about the proposed budget, with several legislators indicating the community is concerned about the project's cost and questioning where, how and if the budget could be cut.
"To say we could cut would be very difficult," said Rapalee. "In my opinion, it's not a good idea. Cuts would not just affect what was cut. They would affect everything down the line. Some people will look at this building and see a highway facility for trucks and equipment. I see a multi-purpose, shared services facility that I can revamp for other things. In a matter of minutes to hours, I can redesign the space to move 10 people or 1,000 people through the facility by setting up different lanes."
While the Public Health Department will not be relocating to the proposed facility, it is expected that public health clinics, including those for vaccinations, would be conducted at this location. In addition, the facility will function as an emergency operations center with space for training.
Some legislators questioned why the budget outsources site work, rather than asking county personnel to build these tasks into their current workload, suggesting that other counties have done that.
"My recommendation is that we do not do site work with county forces," said Rapalee. "It's more than moving dirt. We have looked at it multiple times. Considering our manpower and the scope of work and the commitment it would take to do this type of work and our responsibilities with the highway department, I am not recommending that. We are doing what things we think we can do in an appropriate manner."
While the legislators authorized Rapalee to seek bids for the six projects and they did not choose to include a "cannot exceed" clause, they ultimately arrived at this decision after being assured that they can reject all bids if none ultimately meet their expectations.