By By Sherry Digmon
Advance Staff Writer
The Escambia County Ala. Commission is in the process of determining the lowest responsible bidder for the new county health department to be built in Brewton.
The four base bids ranged from $760,000 to $796,116.
County Commission Chairman Larry White said the project is funded through the budget and private contributions.
County Administrator Tony Sanks said the contributors were not anonymous. About $600,000 is provided by the D.W. McMillan and W.T. Neal Trusts. One of the trusts donated the money on the condition that the health department be built in Brewton.
This particular project is not a grant project, but will be funded by the commission, the health department and the trust funds.
Vickrey cited the Department of Human Resources and the Agriculture Center as two examples of county offices built in Brewton due to large donations from that end of the county.
Vickrey said he's a "goner" because he doesn't plan to run for re-election when his term expires this year. He said he has tried to get various projects for Atmore knowing that he couldn't because the money was in Brewton.
The four base bids were:
* Larry Hall Construction, Pace, Fla., $777,000;
* Bay Shore Construction, Bay Minette, $760,000;
* Payco, Inc., Mobile, $796,116;
* MTS Construction, Montgomery, $793,349.
Other items to be added to the base bid include a cupola, porcelain tile, metal roof, casework, arch windows, sound insulation, asphalt and landscaping.
The completed project will cost almost $1 million.
The commission voted to accept the lowest responsible bid as authorized by the architect.