The bid for a new fire hall on Mowbray Mountain came in over $1 million above budget, County Commission members were told. There is also a $400,000 contingency.
The commission approved the $5,995,000 bid by Evans-Ailey Construction.
Commissioner Tim Boyd said the staff "should do a better job of budgeting on these." He said, "It's a little disappointing to say the least."
Todd Leamon, public works administrator, said there were several factors involved. He said one was the fact the facility will be larger than the one being constructed at Walden's Ridge. He said the bid went out under terms that the contractor would be responsible for certain liabilities, such as poor soil being encountered.
Mr. Leamon said other factors include the remoteness of the site, with trucks having to go up and down the mountain, as well as the current busy job market.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger, a former Chattanooga fire chief, said the current fire hall is outmoded. He said it had mold issues and "definitely has outlived its usefulness."
He also said, "Everybody's busy right now so we are experiencing high bids."
He added, "Also, this is not an easy place to get to."
The county mayor said some firefighters now spend the night at the Mowbray facility, bringing a faster response than in the days when volunteers first had to come from their homes to the station.