Chickasaw County supervisors open bids and approve plans for courthouse window project
May 26, 2026 | Chickasaw County, Iowa
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The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on May 26 opened sealed bids and moved forward with formal plans for a courthouse window replacement project, approving the plans and estimated cost while deferring contract award until engineer review.
At the boardroom in the Chickasaw County Courthouse the board opened five bids submitted before the 9:00 a.m. deadline. Bidders and the lump-sum amounts announced to the board were: Elite Glass & Metal LLC (Johnston) at $925,000 (commercial aluminum windows listed), A and J Construction LLC (Cresco) at $974,298, Caro Construction at $872,000, Misty Construction (Waverly) at approximately $79,755, and CR Glass (Cedar Rapids) at $895,850 (aluminum listed). Staff noted the county's earlier working estimate was far lower and raised questions about scope and whether aluminum or wood windows were intended in the bid documents.
The board then opened a public hearing on the proposed public improvement at 9:13 a.m. A resident asked when the existing windows were installed; staff estimated they dated from the late 1970s to around 1980 and reported that several cranks and sashes no longer function. No written comments were submitted. The public hearing was closed at 9:15 a.m.
Following the hearing the board considered Resolution 526-26-33, a procedural resolution approving the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated total cost for the public improvement project. Scott moved and Travis seconded the motion. The board adopted the resolution by unanimous vote (5–0). The resolution does not constitute an award of the contract.
County counsel and staff advised the board that approving the plans and estimate after a public hearing is a required procedural step and that the board may delay final contract award until the county engineer completes a responsiveness and responsibility review of the lowest bidders. Staff said the engineer will review the bids and make a recommendation; the board expects to consider awarding the contract at its next meeting.
The board also noted that bid documents and exhibits included options (for example, tinted shades and crank details) that staff and the engineer will need to reconcile with bidders to determine whether the low bid is responsive to the solicitation and whether the bids specify aluminum or wood window units. Those determinations will affect which bidder may legally be awarded the contract under the county's responsive/responsible bidder rules.
Next steps: staff will provide the engineer's responsiveness and responsibility review and a recommendation at the board's next meeting, when the board may award the contract.
At the boardroom in the Chickasaw County Courthouse the board opened five bids submitted before the 9:00 a.m. deadline. Bidders and the lump-sum amounts announced to the board were: Elite Glass & Metal LLC (Johnston) at $925,000 (commercial aluminum windows listed), A and J Construction LLC (Cresco) at $974,298, Caro Construction at $872,000, Misty Construction (Waverly) at approximately $79,755, and CR Glass (Cedar Rapids) at $895,850 (aluminum listed). Staff noted the county's earlier working estimate was far lower and raised questions about scope and whether aluminum or wood windows were intended in the bid documents.
The board then opened a public hearing on the proposed public improvement at 9:13 a.m. A resident asked when the existing windows were installed; staff estimated they dated from the late 1970s to around 1980 and reported that several cranks and sashes no longer function. No written comments were submitted. The public hearing was closed at 9:15 a.m.
Following the hearing the board considered Resolution 526-26-33, a procedural resolution approving the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated total cost for the public improvement project. Scott moved and Travis seconded the motion. The board adopted the resolution by unanimous vote (5–0). The resolution does not constitute an award of the contract.
County counsel and staff advised the board that approving the plans and estimate after a public hearing is a required procedural step and that the board may delay final contract award until the county engineer completes a responsiveness and responsibility review of the lowest bidders. Staff said the engineer will review the bids and make a recommendation; the board expects to consider awarding the contract at its next meeting.
The board also noted that bid documents and exhibits included options (for example, tinted shades and crank details) that staff and the engineer will need to reconcile with bidders to determine whether the low bid is responsive to the solicitation and whether the bids specify aluminum or wood window units. Those determinations will affect which bidder may legally be awarded the contract under the county's responsive/responsible bidder rules.
Next steps: staff will provide the engineer's responsiveness and responsibility review and a recommendation at the board's next meeting, when the board may award the contract.
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