Armory work set to begin
$11.6 million venture could start as early as next week
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Friday, August 15, 2008 10:37 AM PDT
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| This mobile office is the first sign the contractor for the new Ontario armory is getting ready to move onto the site, situated along Southwest Fourth Street, near Malheur County Justice Court. |
ONTARIO — Construction of the new Oregon Army National Guard Readiness Center in Ontario is nearly set to begin, and Guard officials said work on the project could start as early as next week.
Oregon Military Department Project Manager Gary Van Drew said the contractor may launch the excavation work at the Southwest Fourth Street site Monday.
“The permits are ready,” he said.
A few papers, he said, still need to be signed by the contractor.
The project will begin behind schedule after Guard officials had to negotiate with the lowest bidder to bring the venture within budget.
“There were six bids,” Van Drew said.
The lowest bid was $12.947 million, he said, which meant that more than $1 million worth of items were removed from the project. However, several of those items will be added later under different budgets, he said. PETRA Inc., a general contractor from Meridian, that is just wrapping up work on the Holiday Inn Express in Ontario was the low bidder.
The budget for the armory construction is $11.6 million. The cuts in the initial budget will not impact the overall project, Van Drew said.
“It didn’t hurt it at all,” Van Drew said. Van Drew did express some regret for one of the major cuts — changing the access off of Southwest 14th Avenue from two locations to one. The power lines along Southwest Fourth Street, which the Guard wanted buried, will remain above ground, Van Drew said. There will be some other changes in the landscaping.
“A total of 48 items were removed,” he said.
That includes some kitchen equipment and target equipment for the rifle range.
“We can pay for it later,” he said.
However, the exterior of the building will remain the same as shown in architectural drawings. The facility will be built on property which was sold to the Guard by Treasure Valley Community College. The college will gain use of at least two classrooms and other public areas at the new readiness center. The armory will also be available for community use. It will include an assembly hall with a sports floor for such activities as basketball and volleyball, a full-service kitchen, weight room and an indoor rifle range with five lanes.
The armory will house Ontario’s Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard. The 3rd Battalion consists of Guard outfits spread across eastern and central Oregon.
