County Building: Exterior Renovations

ANTRIM COUNTY BUILDING
One Step Closer to Exterior Renovations

BELLAIRE, Mich. -- The Antrim County Board of Commissioners has taken the next step toward exterior  renovations of the Antrim County Building. At their February 2 meeting, the board approved spending a not-to-exceed amount of $4.52 million on the project. The primary funding source will be the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds.

Antrim County Maintenance Director Mitch Bart told the Board of Commissioners that the project was originally slated for completion in 4-5 years. However, concern arose during the Capital Improvement Plan process that the building’s exterior panels might not be durable enough to last that long. Mr. Bart said the outside engineer who evaluated the panels agreed with that assessment.

In May 2022, the Board hired Progressive AE in a motion “to study the integrity of the façade system on the county building, identify options to address concerns, and provide conceptual cost estimates.” The result of Progressive’s study was a conceptual cost estimate of $3.45 million, 
which did not include all aspects of the project. A $5.2 million estimate was provided by the construction managers after more detailed and up-to-date information was obtained.

At that point, Antrim County representatives met with Progressive AE and Spence Brothers, the construction managers hired in the fall of 2022, to explore strategic cuts. The cuts reduced the estimated project cost to $4.52 million. Both Mr. Bart and Board of Commissioner Chair, Terry VanAlstine said they were “pretty confident in those numbers.” Next steps for the project are preparing the bidding documents, a public bidding process, and contract awards by the Board of Commissioners.

“Beyond the safety benefits, the project will also provide a more efficient main entry, increase the building’s curb appeal, and reduce heating costs,” said County Administrator Jeremy Scott. “We hope to complete the project this fall.”

For more information, please contact the Antrim County Administration Office at countyadmin@antrimcounty.org or call us at 231-533-6265.

Exterior renovation images