Architect outlines timeline for recreational facilities

By CHRIS VETTER

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The New Ulm City Council offered a new contract to a Minneapolis architect firm to design and build the planned recreational facilities.

Ted Rozeboom, principal architect for Rozeboom Miller Architects, presented a proposed contract and a timeline for building. Bids could begin in September 2001 with all projects completed by December 2002.

The city will build a new ice rink/exhibit hall at the Brown County Fairgrounds, expand the Senior Citizens Center and renovate Vogel Arena. The three projects have a dollar cap of $9 million.

First, the firm will enter a predesign stage that defines the scope of the project. This stage will be used to confirm the team of engineers and contractors and figure cost reductions, Rozeboom explained.

Rozeboom hopes to present a completed predesign stage at the first council meeting of January.

"It's very important to have a very thorough, very complete budget estimate," Rozeboom told Councilors.

The city also will have a role in the predesign stage, as councilors will create site committees for each of the three project locations. Rozeboom suggested that each committee be limited to about seven members, including one councilor. The committees would include people who will be frequent users of the building.

After the predesign is done, the design development would stretch from February to April. Blueprints would be finished next summer, leading to bidding in September and construction in October.

Rozeboom said the city could speed up the timeframe by beginning construction on footings before the entire design is done. However, he warned that could be a bad move for a public works project.

"The risk is that you have a fixed budget," Rozeboom explained. "You are asking the council to approve something that they don't know if they have the money for."

The councilors agreed that there is no need to rush the project.

"I don't know if we have a deadline, unless we make one up," said Councilor Clark Tuttle III. "We're much more concerned about getting a good building for our dollars than to hurry up and build."

The project has a buffer -- or contingency -- built in to costs, in case the projects run above what is anticipated. Rozeboom said it is wise to keep those dollars in the project.

"I don't think anyone wants to go into bidding day be over our budget," he said. "We don't want to spend more than two percent of our contingency on designs."

Under the contract, Rozeboom and the other contractors will receive between $520,000 and $711,000. Rozeboom said the exact dollar figure will become fixed as the project narrows and the city has a firm grasp on costs.

The city is building the facilities with bonds, which will be paid by a new half-percent sales tax in New Ulm. Rozeboom said he was pleased for the city that the sales tax was approved Nov. 7.

"Any sort of referendum that increases taxes is vulnerable," Rozeboom said. "I think it confirms that the electorate has some confidence in the city."

In other business, the Councilors approved a rate hike for waste disposal. Under current rates, a one-person household pays $8.80 a month . The new rate will climb to $9.17 a month for that household. A house with two 30-gallon bags or 60 gallon cart will see a hike from $14.47 a month to $15.08 a month.

The council also held a hearing on a proposed tax-increment financing district for a new assisted-living complex. Councilors held off on approving the project until the company, Housing Alternatives Development Company, presents the city with a complete financing package for the project.