Tiling project approved for sheriff’s office gun range

Construction of the second phase of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office firearms range was approved in a 2-1 vote by board of supervisors this past week. The lone no vote came from Supervisor Doug Cupples, who had no qualms with the project itself but was uncomfortable that only one bid was solicited.

Sheriff Brad Shutts said the firearms range site has experienced a fair bit of drainage issues, and it was recommended that tiling be installed to direct the water somewhere else. He also noted a top layer of rock would be placed on top of the range area, which would better promote further runoff.

Supervisor Brandon Talsma said he spoke with the county auditor and confirmed there is money left in the Local Options Sales Tax budget for this current fiscal year to pay for the project. He reasoned it would be better to start the project sooner before it gets too wet and ensure the range is still usable for trainings.

Sully Construction provided the board of supervisors with a $45,402.40 bid, which covered the tiling, hauling, roadstone and vehicle operation costs.

When Cupples questioned if Shutts acquired any other quotes, the sheriff said he didn’t but that Sully Construction has been utilized by the office in the past and has always done great work. Shutts said the price did not seem out of line, and it was valuable that the contractor could get it finished in the next two weeks.

Talsma was comfortable with the bid and also liked that a contractor could get started soon. “I’m telling you right now half of ‘em are already busy,” he said. “I was kind of surprised Sully said they could get there in the next week or two yet. Because most guys I know they are already mobilized and out on job sites.”

However, Talsma offered to table the action for a week in order to get more quotes, but he said time constraints would likely be an issue for contractors. Supervisor Thad Nearmyer offered to just move forward with the vote. Cupples just asked Shutts to bring in additional bids in the future.