Council commits to contractor for Arts Center renovation

Auditor: City remains in 'really strong financial condition'

Simpsonville, S.C. — Simpsonville City Council moved the arts center building renovation forward this week by unanimously approving a notice of intent to award a contract for the project to Central Interiors.

On a motion by Councilwoman Jenn Hulehan of Ward 3 and a second by Councilman Ken Cummings of Ward 5, City Council voted 7-0 to approve the notice at a business meeting held Tuesday night. The meeting was the first gathering of Council for 2021, which was held electronically per a current emergency ordinance to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

City Administrator Dianna Gracely, who presented the notice to Council, said the use of federal funds for the renovation required the City to select the contractor with the lowest bid in a competitive bidding process. The federal funds are in the form of a $500,000 grant awarded to the City of Simpsonville for the project in 2019 by the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership that supports economic development for its namesake.

Approval of the notice by Council conveyed the City's intention to award the contract for interior and exterior renovations of the Simpsonville Arts Center to Central Interiors, which submitted the lowest bid of $1,738,182.04. The low bid was among seven others ranging from about $1.8 million to $2.6 million. 

Gracely said she was "very pleased" with the bids.

"Of course you always have numbers that are a bit out of the ball park, and we did have a couple of rather high bids, but most of them were in the same general area, which gives us a lot of confidence that the contractors are all seeing the materials the same way and a lot of the subcontractors are bidding these jobs competitively," Gracely said. 

Gracely reminded Council the contract amount does not cover the total cost of phase 1 of the building renovation, including design fees, special materials, inspections, sound, lighting and auditorium seating. Phase 1 of the project is estimated to cost about $2.4 million.

Gracely said Council will vote on the actual contract once the S.C. Department of Commerce reviews and approves the documents. 

"It's an intent to award based on a complete and thorough review of the contractor to make sure there are no issues, to make sure their references check out and to make sure their creditors are good because we don't want to get in a situation with a contractor who's unable to perform," Gracely said.

Gracely estimated construction would start at the earliest in mid-February. The community theater Mill Town Players is slated to start production on shows later this year.

Council also received the good news that the City of Simpsonville is in "really strong financial condition" as of June, according to David Phillips of accounting firm Greene Finney, LLP, which conducted the City's annual audit for 2020.

At the conclusion of the audit, the firm rendered an "unmodified opinion," which Phillips said was "a good thing." An unmodified opinion means the firm found no major accounting mistakes by the City.

"You have a really strong financial condition," Phillips said. "Of course, that just doesn't happen overnight. It's something that the councils (in Simpsonville) for years have worked towards, and when you have that, it gives you opportunities and options that a lot of other governments may not have."

Phillips also noted City Hall staff was "really great to work with."

The meeting may be viewed on the City of Simpsonville YouTube Channel.

​Council will next meet electronically Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. for Committee of the Whole. All council meetings can be viewed on the City of Simpsonville YouTube Channel.