Improvements on City Hall to begin late summer

By DAVID TELLER

Staff Reporter

The Cheney City Council accepted a bid from Darden Enterprises to do an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrade at the city hall building.

Light Department director Joe Noland said the renovation comes when a facility assessment was done in 1997 and the architects suggested the improvements. Noland added that the Light Department owns the building and rents it to the general fund.

Noland said egress in the building would be modified at the auditorium, with a stairway exiting in the vacant lot on the C street side of city hall.

Finance director Cindy Niemeier will get a new look to her office. Construction crews will be enclosing her office, which currently has an open ceiling of the rest of the office. Her office will also get fresh paint and new carpeting.

A new handicap counter will be installed at the finance office.

The court pay station will be renovated to make an ADA counter and make egress from the sidewalk handicap accessible and there will be minor changes to the hallway and existing office space. Noland said they will be adding heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) to that part of the building too.

Work is scheduled to start August 11 and will continue for three months.

“The standard contract we use generally specifies 90 days for completion,” Noland said in an email.

Cheney was fortunate to have the job bid below the architect's estimate. The design estimate was for almost $204,000. Darden Enterprises' bid, including a contingency, was for $135,000.

Noland said the extra funds would be returned to the light fund.

Darin Meeks of Darden Enterprises acknowledged a minor flaw in their bid, but assured the architect they will perform the work for the amount specified.

The architect, Zeck Butler and Associates, holds Darden in high regard. Zeck Butler principal William Froemke, said in a letter to Cheney “Darden Enterprises has a good reputation around town. Our office has dealt with them on at least one project in the last five years and our project architect reports no problems and an excellent attention to quality.”

The letter also said the Washington State Department of Labor and industries reveals no complaints or legal action against Darden.

David Teller can be reached at [email protected]