Work to renovate nearly half of the restrooms at the Jefferson College campus in Hillsboro has begun.
The Jefferson College Board of Trustees agreed to pay Integra Construction Inc. in St. Charles $1,528,700 to renovate 17 of the 35 restrooms at the campus, said Daryl Gehbauer, the college’s vice president of finance and administration.
The work began in mid-May and is expected to be completed by Aug. 13, before the start of the 2023 fall semester, he said.
The current restrooms are 35- to 50-years old, and the college has ongoing problems maintaining the older plumbing and keeping them looking clean, according to staff.
President Dena McCaffrey said the 17 restrooms will be overhauled.
“It’s everything, not just cosmetic or aesthetic, but updates of the entire restrooms,” she said.
The college board voted unanimously during a special meeting on April 18 to award the contract to Integra after board members decided at their April 13 meeting to table the matter.
Integra submitted the lowest bid for the project, but representatives from the second-lowest bidder – Boyer Building & Design in De Soto – urged board members on April 13 to consider its $1,541,232 bid, which they said wasn’t much higher, especially since Boyer is a Jefferson County company.
Board member Steve Meinberg took up their cause, saying the trustees should consider awarding the contract to a local business that pays taxes supporting Jefferson College.
“I see such a bigger impact over (the extra) $13,000,” Meinberg said.
He added that in some cases in the past, the low bid did not win because someone else submitted a “best bid.”
Gehbauer countered, arguing that public institutions are required to bid out projects and unless there is some overriding reason not to go with the lowest bidder, that company should win the contract.
“I think it’s a bad precedent to set,” Gehbauer said.
He also said Integra Construction’s bid called for a shorter construction period, which was a plus.
Board members voted April 13 to table the matter so a legal opinion could be obtained.
Following the April 18 special meeting and vote, Jefferson College spokesman Roger Barrentine issued the following statement about the contract being awarded to Integra Construction.
“The board voted unanimously to award the contract to the lowest bidder based on the opinion of our attorney and the fact that the work schedule for the winning bidder was on a shorter time frame,” he said.
McCaffrey said that while only 17 of the restrooms are being renovated by Integra, other restrooms are being renovated as part of other projects, and the remainder will be renovated later.