Shelby Commission approves work on Chelsea intersection
Work could begin in a matter of weeks to add a left turn lane from Old Highway 280 onto Shelby County Road 11 after the Shelby County Commission approved a bid for the project at its July 9 meeting.
County engineer Randy Cole said he expects construction on the project to begin in July. The low bidder was Dunn Construction, with a bid of just over $393,000. Shelby County will pay for $250,000 of the project, with the city of Chelsea paying the remainder.
The commission also discussed bids for work on the Shelby County Courthouse, but did not make a decision to accept a bid.
County Manager Alex Dudchock said of eight eligible firms for the project, only two submitted bids: Douglas Built and P&M Mechanical. Dudchock said the base bid for the project was $4.3 million, but both companies submitted proposals with alternate options that, if chosen, could raise the price up to around $6.7 million. However, he said everything necessary for the construction projects was encompassed within the base bids.
The plans for the Shelby Courthouse include two new courtrooms and judicial suites, with rooms for judges, court reporters and attorney-client meetings, as well as changes on the first and second floor of the building and additional covered outdoor space.
The commission did not choose either bid and will review them for possible changes to the plans before the next commission meeting in two weeks. Dudchock said for the base bid's project scope, there is an estimated 14-month timeline for construction. He would like to get a bid approved soon, he said, so the chosen firm can begin the necessary paperwork and other work to complete the courthouse within that time frame.
“The timing couldn’t be better. It’s definitely needed,” Commissioner Lindsey Allison said.
Manager of Water Services Michael Cain updated the commission that an issue with water filtration that has been ongoing since the end of April has been resolved. Cain said a couple filters in one of the county's water treatment plants had an issue with a manganese-based chemical compound being released from the filters into the water supply.
Cain said one of the filters is back online and the second should be working again within a few weeks, and the plant knows how to fix the problem should it happen again.
“With water, it takes a while for you to see the results,” he said after the meeting.
Robin James of the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A) also recognized the commission and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office for their support in helping M4A obtain a $10,000 grant to implement dementia-friendly training for first responders. James said around 450 first responders have taken the free training course, including nearly 300 Shelby County officers, and the Shelby SO was the first in the state to be designated as a dementia-friendly department.
James said M4A is also working with Project Life Connect, which gives people red fridge magnets to include their health and insurance information and trains emergency personnel to look for those cards during calls. James also noted the state's new Silver Alert Law, which has protocols similar to Amber Alerts for missing seniors, especially those with dementia.