Mitchell council directs staff to rebid tornado shelter project to seek cost savings

The Mitchell City Council directed staff to pursue a rebid of the Tornado Shelter Rebid Project (2023-33) and to include alternate wall-construction options that staff said could lower the project cost.

Mark Genious, a city staff member, told the council contractors suggested rebidding a third time and exploring alternatives to the original precast concrete walls. "We've been talking with some contractors about possibly rebidding for a third time to try and get this down a couple $100,000," Genious said, urging the council to allow staff to evaluate options.

City staff described two main alternatives: concrete masonry unit (CMU) block filled with rebar and poured-in-place concrete walls. A staff speaker summarized the tradeoffs: "We talked about concrete block filled with concrete on the inside and then put rebar... which would be acceptable as part of FEMA. That would lower us. Then we also talked ... poured concrete walls, and I think we get even cheaper than that."

Council members pressed staff on grant timing and whether another rebid would jeopardize FEMA funding. Staff said the grant timeline could be extended and that a rebid should not prevent the project from moving forward. "We could still get that with the grant... we can extend it for another year," a staff member said.

Members also debated aesthetics and schedule. Some council members favored the original precast for appearance; others said poured walls could be finished to look similar and would likely reduce cost. One councilmember noted the rebid timeline: staff estimated the rebid would take roughly a month to six weeks to complete, which could still allow construction this fall.

Mayor closed discussion by noting general consensus: the council asked staff to proceed with a rebid that adds alternates (poured-in-place walls and precast comparisons) and return with updated bids and design details. Staff said the approved roof design would remain precast and that the rebid would add three alternates for council comparison.

Next steps: staff will prepare revised bid documents and add alternates for the council to review when the bids return to the city for award consideration.