A contractor has been chosen for the first round of improvements at the Memorial Opera House. The Porter County Commissioners on Tuesday selected Berglund Construction Company for exterior masonry restoration and tuck pointing.
The company submitted the lowest of three bids at $242,000. Scott Cherry with construction manager Skillman said that's slightly below initial estimates.
"There is some allowances built in here to take care of the other things," Cherry said. "We recognize we're going to run into some things when we're set up out there."
He said architects with Schmidt Associates are currently working on drawings for the interior renovation. The commissioners plan to discuss the project further during an administration meeting Monday at 3:00 p.m. at the Opera House.
The Opera House project is one of a number of facility upgrades Porter County is working on. The commissioners also agreed to hire DLZ to serve as the architect for improvements to the county jail, at seven percent of the construction cost.
Commissioner Jim Biggs said he looks forward to working with them. "I've had a front row seat to their work in the jail industry, and there's nobody more capable. That's why they were called upon," Biggs said.
The commissioners also got updates on the construction of a new voter registration office in the building at 157 Franklin. That will allow the coroner's and veterans service offices to move into the current voter registration office, which in turn, will give more space to the health department.