Conroe is moving forward with plans for Fire Station No. 8, approving contract negotiations with SLI Group LLC for a $5 million project set along FM 3083.
The Conroe City Council approved a request for qualifications and gave SLI Group LLC permission to start contract talks to plan and build Fire Station No. 8 at their meeting on April 24. The new station will be on FM 3083. It is expected to cost around $5 million all together, with $4.2 million set aside for planning and construction alone, not including furniture and tools.
Fire Chief Paul Sims said that city staff had kept costs low, pointing out that the city had looked at earlier bids that were "several million" dollars more expensive. Marsha Porter, a council member, also thanked Sims and his team for being careful with money at the April 23 training.
After all the bids were looked at and scored by a group made up of staff from the purchasing and fire departments, SLI Group LLC was chosen over two other firms: LDF Construction/BRW Architects and Grossman Design Build. Assistant Director of Purchasing Kristina Colville says that SLI Group has a good history working with government buildings and can give many good examples from past projects.
The city will now talk to SLI Group about a formal contract to set dates and finalize plans for design and building. These specifics will be shown to the City Council for final approval before any work starts.
