Local firm gets bid for Wellness Center

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake School Board awarded the contract for a community wellness center at its Tuesday, Aug. 18, meeting.

Dean Snyder Construction, Clear Lake, was the low bidder for the project, which is a partnership between the school district and City of Clear Lake.  DSC’s base bid for the work was $10.2 million.  With alternates, the winning bid was just over $10.6 million.

According to Superintendent Doug Gee, seven companies submitted bids and the process was very competitive.

The engineer’s estimate for the project was $11 million.

In conjunction with the decision, the Board approved an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Clear Lake regarding the operations of the center.  According to the 25-year agreement, the district will own the center and the city will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility, including staffing and cleaning and can set the charges for use and membership.  The school district is responsible for exterior maintenance and building repairs, including HV/AC systems.

The school district will have priority use of components of the building related to student-athlete use.  Those features are located on the main level of the facility, while the second level contains the elevated track, fitness and workout areas and indoor playground which the city is funding.

A five-member board will advise the wellness center.  The school and city will each name two board members and a fifth will be mutually agreed upon. An annual budget for the facility will be developed by the city by April 30 each year and submitted to the wellness center board for approval.

The Clear Lake City Council will vote on the 28E agreement at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Completion of the two-story, 81,000 square foot facility is slated for December 2021.