The Sherburne County Board Tuesday hired Adolfson & Peterson Construction (A&P) as the construction manager to review the plans for the potential Government Center expansion, work with the architect, BWBR and provide a cost model for the project.

 

 

“We have a scope of work for BWBR, our architect,” said Administrator Steve Taylor. “This is line with that contract. It essentially ends in the first week of November.”

 

A&P was one of six firms that responded to the county’s request for proposals. The architect and Taylor recommended three for interview. In addition to A&P, the other firms were Kraus-Anderson and McGough.

 

The interviews were conducted by Taylor, Public Works Director John Menter and Building Facilities Director Steve Becker. They recommended A&P.

 

Under the contract, A&P will attend meetings on Sept. 22 and 23 with department heads and county officials to understand the county’s space needs and design preferences. They will also attend the October board meeting to update the commissioners.

 

Commissioner Rachel Leonard asked whether A&P would continue if the board decided to move ahead with the project. “It would be a new contract,” said Taylor. “Both the architect and the construction manager are in an initial design phase that ends essentially Nov. 1.”

 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing asked who would monitor the progress. “These folks will be working hand in hand with BWBR,” he said. “Will they report to you?”

 

Taylor said he would be the point of contact, but the commissioners make the decisions.

 

Schmiesing said he felt the commissioners shouldn’t be involved in daily decisions about the project.

 

“I think it should be focused with you,” he said.  “I think we want to be careful that we don’t have board members stirring around with construction managers and playing that sort of a role.”

 

Taylor said the county would have to have a person to manage the project at the county level. He said it was a demanding job that required lots of timely decisions.

 

“I can tell you having been involved in these projects before, if I did this, 40 to 50 percent of my time would be involved in this project,” he said. “I don’t know if the board wants me to do that, but we don’t have someone here at the county to coordinate, communicate and make small change order decisions.”

 

The board asked Taylor to find someone to fill that role.

 

The board approved the expenditure of up to $4,000 to modify the south end of the Government Center parking lot to create a pass-through. Getting rid of three parking spaces and creating an access would eliminate the need for jail visitors to climb over snow piled on the boulevard and allow general traffic to exit using the east drive behind the jail.

 

The board approved a $20,000 contract with Community BluePrint, a social marketing group, to assist with the county’s Positive Community Norms campaign using federal funds from the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grant.

 

The campaign focus on positive, healthy behaviors rather than destructive behavior. Positive Community Norms is based on the framework that teens often misperceive behaviors and attitudes of their peers, and assume they are using harmful substances more often than is what is occurring. The campaign will focus on youth that do not use alcohol.

 

Mark Lees of Health & Human Services gave the board a report on the most recent alcohol and tobacco compliance checks. Forty-five of 51 (88%) passed the tobacco checks. Fifty-two of 60 (87%) passed the alcohol checks.

 

The checks are done using actual underage adults with their own IDs to see which licensed establishments sell tobacco or alcohol to minors.

 

Lees said all of the establishments in townships and the City of Zimmerman passed.

 

Those establishments that failed the tobacco check were Deli Plus and Good Spirit & Smokes in Becker; On-The-Run Mobile in Big Lake and Beaudry Express, E-Cig Palace and Ralphie’s Victory Lane in Elk River.

 

Those that failed the alcohol checks were Jubilee Liquor in Becker; McPete’s in Big Lake, and Elk River Golf Club, Hajime Sushi Restaurant, McCoy’s Pub, Mucho Loco, Noodles & Company and Time Out Bar & Grill in Elk River.