Benson council votes to get bids for armory remodeling

By Reed Anfinson
Benson’s City Council voted to seek bids for the renovation of the Benson Armory at special meeting Thursday night.
Thursday night’s meeting started out in the large gymnasium room of the former National Guard Armory building where Aaron Larson and Andy Engan of Engan and Associates explained the project to the council.
Engan is the Willmar architectural and engineering firm that has been developing the plans, specifications, and projected costs for the armory renovation.
While the drawing of the exterior of the armory building portrays it looking pretty much like it does today, the front offices would be removed and the basement beneath them filled in.
The current bathrooms, which are in the front office space, would be gone and new bathrooms would be added.
Benson’s council is looking at a project that could cost as much as $2,335,578, or if stripped down to the minimum, $1,343,480.
The council has set a budget of $1.2 million for the Armory renovation.
In August 2021, it was awarded a $678,000 grant from DEED from its federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds for the Armory project.
Even at the minimum, the project comes in at $143,480 over its budget. However, bids could come in under the estimates, or higher.
In the bidding process, construction firms will provide a bid for the base project work and then a separate bid for each of the nine alternates. “When the bids come back, you’ll have real numbers to choose from,” Engan said.
Each of the alternates in the bid could be done as their own project at some point in the future, the council was told.
“We are at the stage right now where our plans are about 98% done,” Engan said. “We would be ready to go out to bid by the end of this month if you want.”

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