Council approves city staff plan to self-perform police firearms training facility renovations

City staff convinced the Newnan City Council to approve a plan to self-perform renovations at the police department firearms training facility after consultant and contractor estimates substantially exceeded the city’s $1.1 million allocation.

Staff described the facility as aging and said initial concept pricing reached $4 million, with revised contractor estimates still near $3 million. The city proposed self-performing demolition, site grading and many trade packages, while bidding a limited number of larger packages (for example, a pre-engineered metal building) that may exceed Georgia’s $250,000 procurement threshold. Staff said Georgia procurement law permits self-performance when properly executed.

The city said it would capitalize the project using the previously budgeted 2025 SPLS program funds and that the project scope would include a pre-engineered metal building erected by a vendor and interior finish work performed by city crews and subcontractors as needed. Staff estimated potential taxpayer savings on the order of $1 million to $1.5 million by self-performing much of the work.

Council voted unanimously to approve the request to self-perform and directed staff to proceed within procurement rules and required bidding thresholds.