Bainbridge Trustees Reject High Bids for Town Hall Project

Bainbridge Township trustees rejected all construction bids for the town hall renovation project during their April 14 meeting after the lowest bid came in at $934,000 — more than 55% higher than the original $600,000 estimate from DS Architecture.

Only two construction companies submitted bids by the March 28 deadline, raising concerns about contractor interest in the project. According to Ohio Revised Code Section 153.12, a project cannot exceed 20% more than the estimated cost, forcing trustees to decline both proposals.

Architect Blames Market Conditions

Jeff Myers of DS Architecture attributed the high costs to “the building compromise, potentially, some of it can be contributed to the political environment and the cautiousness of tariffs and stuff like that.”

Board Split on Next Steps

The trustees split 2-1 on how to proceed. Trustees Kristina O’Brien and Michael Bates voted to have DS Architecture redraw the renovation plans within four weeks at no cost to the township, with some items removed from the estimate to be done in-house.

Trustee Jeff Markley opposed the redraw, saying “I think this is a mistake. We’re going down another road. We’ve already been sold a bill of goods that hasn’t performed well, so we are stuck.”

Safety Concerns Remain

The renovation project was fast-tracked in February after the architect warned the front room was dangerous and should be closed immediately due to “substantial risk of catastrophic structural failure.”

Trustee Michael Bates emphasized the urgency, saying “The building is falling down. I watched (Service Director Jim Stanek) move those walls (with his hands). I felt like running for cover when he did it because I thought the roof was going to fall down on top of me.”

However, Markley questioned whether the building was as dangerous as portrayed, noting “We were being told from up above that you’re done — this building’s gonna collapse any minute now, but it hasn’t, and the building still remains, and it’s been there for 100-plus years.”