Parks board takes new look at shelter proposal

Thursday, August 21, 2008

"I have good news. We have a budget," Bill Erwin, Erwin Construction LLC, told members of the Nevada Parks Board during a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

Erwin told the parks board that they have $150,000 to build the shelter house and he estimated that would be enough to build a1,200-1,500-square-foot building with heating and air conditioning, two bathrooms, a storage area, an open warming kitchen and a large open room.

However, after considerable discussion, the park board voted to have Erwin design as large a shelter house as possible with two restrooms, storage area, an open kitchen area and a large open room, that will fit into a $150,000 budget. They also want him to include two options in his cost and design analysis: a metal versus a shingle roof and the cost of adding heating and air conditioning.

"Our desire is to be frugal and give the community the best we can for the money," Gina Cripps, parks board member, said.

The original concept for the enclosed shelter house was for the city to have a metal shell building erected and to have city workers finish the interior of the building, with the finished building large enough to seat about 200 people.

Mark Mitchell, project manager, told the board that you can seat about 60 people in a 1,000-square-foot room.

Jeff Post said that he had talked to a number of people about how large a facility was needed and the general consensus was that for family reunions and similar events the shelter would need to seat between 50 and 75 people.

"I understand that the city council didn't say no to extra money, just not open-ended," Post told the board.

When the city council met Tuesday night and did not approve the request for an additional $160,000 for the shelter house, they did indicate that if constructing a useable enclosed shelter house would cost more then the $150,000 budgeted for the project, they would be willing to consider a request for more money.

"Let's have the building designed without air conditioning and then go to the council and ask for extra for the air conditioning," Jim Novak, parks board president, said.

Erwin told the board that adding air conditioning would cost about $25,000.

"The council didn't want to give us $160,000, but I think we can get $20 to $25,000 more," Novak said.

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