FORT DAVIS –– Following a special Monday afternoon session, Jeff Davis County commissioners are no closer to selecting a contractor for renovations to the former retail store purchased by the county to serve as a community center and evacuation shelter. They were able to settle item one, approving the request for proposal (RFP) process used to name Rhotenberry Wellen Architects of Midland as the architect for the community center project.
County Grantsman Larry Francell reminded the court that architects fall under the category of professional services, therefore not requiring an RFP process. Rhotenberry Wellen was named the county’s architect of record for the renovation of the county clerk’s office several years ago, and they have since performed that role on several projects.
Commissioner John Davis made the motion to accept Rhotenberry Wellen as the architect for the community center project. Commissioner Jody Adams seconded the motion, and Commissioner Royce Laskoskie was the lone opposing vote.
Agenda item two was an effort to approve a contractor for the work and allow County Judge Curtis Evans to sign a contract once the required environmental review for the project has been completed. A lively discussion on the action included interjections from several citizens in attendance as well as Francell and County Attorney Glen Eisen as to the advisability of contractor selection at this time, particularly under the terms of the pending HUD federal grant for the project. As they addressed the subject, commissioners did resolve one issue that had been carrying over for several meetings when they opened the contractors’ sealed bids. Only two bids were received and commissioners revealed the names of the contractors but not the amounts of their bids.
Bidders were Aztec Contractors from El Paso and Six Rose’s Construction LLC, which has addresses listed in both Fort Davis and Sierra Blanca. After opening the packets, Davis made a motion to table the agenda item until a future date, with Commissioner Roy Hurley providing a second. The motion passed with affirmative votes from all commissioners but Laskoskie, who appeared to have not voted.
Following the meeting, judge’s clerk Sandra Chambers said the project’s environmental review was progressing and communications from the HUD review authority indicated that the process is basic, focused primarily on the potential presence of endangered wildlife or significant archeological materials on the site.