County picks low bidder for courthouse freight‑elevator replacement after bids top estimates; officials warn of election‑time risks

The Woodbury County Board unanimously accepted the low bid and authorized staff to move forward with replacing the courthouse freight elevator after officials said bids were substantially higher than the department’s estimate and raised concerns about election‑period logistics.

Kenny Schmitz, building services manager, told supervisors the department received three bids: L&L at $511,300 (low), L and L (alphabetical listing in minutes) followed by HCI at $519,000 and Nelson Construction at $525,780. Schmitz said the county had originally budgeted about $360,000 for the project and asked the board to receive the bids and consider the low bidder for award.

Schmitz warned that the current freight elevator is unreliable and said he does not recommend using it to move election equipment. "I don't recommend that we do that," he said, and added that if the elevator stops, "there is no call for service to get it repaired... no one will come," creating operational risk during elections.

Ryan Erickson (board administration) outlined three funding options for the additional cost: pay the difference from county reserves; allocate the shortfall in the FY2027 CIP; or reallocate unspent funds from the LEC demolition CIP (he said the demo project had come in under budget and might free up roughly $400,000 once final checks are cleared). Erickson said current CIP records show about $285,000 already allocated toward the elevator project, leaving an estimated funding gap around $220,000–$230,000.

Supervisor Michelle (addressed by name during the meeting) reported testing by a moving company that temporarily removed elevator railings from a passenger elevator and said movers confirmed larger equipment could be moved as an interim solution; she said she would bring a resolution about hiring a mover for that purpose at a future date.

The board voted 5‑0 to receive the bids and later approved awarding the contract to the low bidder and proceed with the procurement. Schmitz said the low bidder indicated a parts lead time (through subcontractor Shoemaker Elevator) of roughly six months and that staff had discussed scheduling to avoid conflicts with the general election timeline.

The board directed staff to finalize contract documents and return with any required CIP reallocations or a proposed reimbursement strategy.