Chickasaw County awards Twin Ponds Nature Center storage contracts after open bids

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors opened sealed bids June 8 for the Twin Ponds Nature Center storage building project and approved two separate contracts.

County Conservation Director Chad Humple read the bid submissions and identified the lowest responsive earthwork bid as Zimmerman Digging for $36,178.75 and the lowest building bid as Riverside Metal Roofing LLC for $101,605.35. The board voted to award the earthwork contract to Zimmerman Digging and the building contract to Riverside Metal Roofing, with motions carried by voice vote.

Board members discussed handling the contracts separately so objections to one contractor would not affect the other. The board also agreed the contractors must provide full bonds as required by contract documents before work begins.

Supervisors approved using county betterment funds to pay for the two projects in fiscal year 26–27 after July 1. The board discussed scheduling and estimated mid‑July as a potential start date for earthwork if dry conditions hold.

The conservation department noted that conduit for future electrical and plumbing work is included in project specifications, and supervisors said running power and a water stub while contractors are on site would likely save money versus retrofitting later. Rough, preliminary estimates discussed for running stub utilities were roughly $10,000–$15,000, contingent on staying within the project budget.

Next steps: staff will finalize contract paperwork, secure required bonds and insurance, and coordinate start dates with contractors and the county auditor.