ISHPEMING — By a five to nothing vote, the Ishpeming City Council also approved a bid from Gunlach Champion for more than $1.3 million dollars for renovations to city hall, the police and fire department, plus the department of public works.
We have older buildings that have condition issues,” said commissioner Mark Sloan. “Specifically in the police, fire, and public works building, the heating system was not working properly, and very inefficient being older technology. We knew that we needed to do some action to fix some of these problems.”
“Gunlach Champion has a long, storied history of construction in the Upper Peninsula. I know that this project has been on the city’s radar for many, many years. We’re just happy to be a part of that. We’re excited to get started,” said James Ebli, President of Gundlach Champion. “There’s a substantial, mechanical, and electrical scope with this project. Over half of the project is electrical and mechanical upgrades.”
The project includes a new elevator for city hall and a new heating system for the police and fire department building.
The city will finance the repairs and renovations through a 30-year loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Once the USDA approves the financing, the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“For four buildings and doing all that’s going to be done, we’re getting a lot of bang for our buck,” said Sloan. “We’re going to do this work. It’s going to be good for the city, providing much needed upgrades and improvements to provide for safety, health, and efficiency. It’s creating local jobs for a local contractor… it’s a win, win for everybody.”
Source: abc10up.com