Enid city commissioners voted Tuesday night to appropriate $243,690 to the capital improvement fund to pay for an expansion of the city’s contract with Carter and Associates.
Carter and Associates has been acting as the program manager for the $24.5 million Enid Renaissance Project, and as the city administrative representative for construction on the project. The company’s work includes design services, bidding, quality control, cost control and administration of the contract.
Enid Renaissance Project includes construction of a new event center adjacent to Cherokee Strip Conference Center downtown, and renovation of Convention Hall into a ballroom and meeting facility.
Carter and Associates will expand its duties to include cost inspection of quality control, management services, payment review and traffic management. Under management services, Carter and Associates will oversee event center construction, Convention Hall renovation, city utility relocation, grading and demolition contracts, stormwater permits, quality control testing and waste disposal management, said Robert Hitt, director of engineering services.
The duties would have been done by Flintco Construction Solutions under the construction manager at-risk delivery method, which was abandoned by the city of Enid after a lawsuit was filed in district court.
The new contract will pay Carter and Associates a total of $606,069, compared to the contract with Flintco for $797,109, saving the city about $190,000.
City Manager Eric Benson said with a construction plan as complex as Enid Renaissance Project, a project manager and a construction manager are needed.
During Tuesday’s meeting commissioners also approved an increase in lease rates at Enid Woodring Regional Airport. The ordinance will raise the city-owned hangar lease rate by 1/100th percent per square foot per month, and raise the land lease rate 2/100ths per square foot per year. The leases are a principal source of revenue at the airport.
Airport Director Dan Ohnesorge said since the last rate increase, more than $3 million has been spent on improvements and repairs to airport facilities and infrastructure. The increases will allow the airport to make future improvements and bring prices closer to what is charged at similar state airports.
The city currently leases city-owned hangers at rates from 9/100ths per square foot to 13/100ths per square foot, depending on the size and amenities of the hangar. That rate would increase to 10/100ths and 14/100ths per square foot.
There also are a number of privately owned hangars, and leases for the land to owners currently are 9/100ths per square foot per year. That rate would increase to 11/100ths per square foot.