Nearly a year after the first attempt to build a new Guilford County Sheriff’s Department headquarters came to a screeching halt, the county is back on track with the project.
At a work session on Thursday, Feb. 1, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners approved a $26.7 million contract with Blum-WC – a joint venture between Winston-Salem based Blum Construction and Winston-Salem-based WC Construction.
Previously, the county had entered into a roughly $21 million contract with Samet Corp. to handle the project. However, as Phase One of the three-phased project neared completion, the county commissioners killed the contract for reasons that remain to this day secret – but did involve a disagreement over MWBE participation in some way.
The new contract calls for the joint venture to complete construction of the new Law Enforcement Administration building for the Sheriff’s Department. Blum-WC will serve as the “Construction Manager at Risk.” That method costs more up front but limits the threat or major cost overruns for the county.
Before the building can begin, the joint venture will have to clear the land – something that Samet Corp. was getting ready to do when the county pulled the contract.
Blum-WC will now oversee the completion of the demolition of the old jail in downtown Greensboro, the construction of the new Law Enforcement Administration office and the removal of the current Otto Zenke Building.
The Zenke building has been the source of constant complaints over the years, including concerns over drastically sloping floors, flood damage, snake infestation and even some complaints that it’s haunted by one or more ghosts.
The historic building will now be torn down to make room for a much needed parking lot.
The total budget for the new Law Enforcement Administration building project is $33.6 million. That’s a lot more than was originally planned, especially when one takes into account that the county already paid Samet Corp. for Phase One.
The project is being paid for by existing bond funds, balances from completed projects, and capital fund balance.
As the Construction Manager At Risk, Blum-WC has received more than 160 bids for work on the project.
Good job Skip because of your RACIST bullsh$$ attitude you personally are costing the taxpayers 4-6 million dollars more for this project. I hope your relatives and friends enjoy your personal reparations
Now cost 5 million more due to racism. Skip you are the definition of racism. Unfortunately not picking the most qualified but picking skin color caused this increase to the taxpayers of Guilford County.
Please keep the completely ignorant city council out of this now that it has been assigned AGAIN. There is plenty that they can be doing , for instance, how about cleaning up some of the businesses that do work with Greensboro. How about getting rid of , permanently, someone that is in charge of large sums of money that have been arrested for stealing. (shoplifting at local Target stores) When you are in charge , you only get one chance. This is not HS or some civic club. Circumstances people !
Mac the jail project was not a city council issue, it was a Guilford County issue
So the city council has no problem throwing away over 6 million to satisfy something we the taxpayers have no idea what it is. People this has got to stop. Do not blame it on people not voting. Blame it on the people elected not knowing what they are doing and not caring about the taxpayers, and making them think they are doing us a favor.
So we are paying millions extra so Skippy can have more MWBE participation? But we are certainly not getting any more or better product as Samet has a good reputation in the Triad. Note to aspiring minority contractors: you no longer have to be the low bid. Just check the MWBE box and you go to the front of the line. I’ll bet when Skippy is using his personal money for home maintenance and improvements, MWBE is not part of the equation.
It’s called “sharing the pie” . . .a piece for Skip, some for MWBE, and others. Costs rise due to funding that goes to the non-participants.
Guilford County has its own racism department now to make sure whitey gets as few jobs as possible. Way to go! This project could have already been finished, and for less money. Samet 2.0.
What’s a few million more on top of ridiculous property taxes on the backs of the minions?
LMAO…great planning by the county! Glad we pay the excessive taxes. Advise us when the toilets start to leak.
First let me go on record as saying the Sheriffs office needs the administrative space, has for several years. During my administration we made do to keep cost down. I don’t dispute the space is needed. What I do question and what we have not gotten information on was the need to change contractors. Samet construction has done stellar work for the county and others in the past and I suspect would again. They are local, more so than Winston companies. The best I can figure without transparency from the county is somebody got their feelings hurt and it’s going to cost the taxpayer an additional 5 million plus and a year lost. Sad.
So, the delay cost taxpayers over $5M? Why? What was so important that the job with Samet needed to be cancelled? BTW cross spending on projects (using project A to pay for Project B) leads to nothing but trouble. Is a sign of mismanagement of capital projects.
Thanks to this MWBE controversy taxpayers are now going to have to cough up several more millions of dollars to have this project completed. This makes no sense and is totally uncalled for. This is what happens when you vote the wrong people into office.
This is an additional $5,000,000 burden to the taxpayers…..yet these taxpayers have no real idea why Samet Construction was removed. The council is supposed to act for the taxpayers. They are employees of the taxpayers and this taxpayer would like a complete and detailed explanation of what my employees discovered that is costing me and all fellow employers/taxpayers an additional $5,000,000. It seems to me we should be entitled to an explanation……but this IS GUILFORD COUNTY.
I agree with everyone about everything. The few voters who bothered to show up (the faithful) elected these clowns
Whenever the council can sneak in an off-year election, they will muster the faithful again. If the citizens of Greensboro don’t stop this at the ballot box, it will be the same ol’, same ol’, again – squared.
If I were a gambler, I’d bet Skips downtown money pit will be getting a nice fat donation in the near future