Construction on new Greene County building across from Pipkin begins soon

A new Greene County building will be going up across the street from Pipkin Middle School later this year.

The County Commission awarded a $3.387 million bid to construct the Greene County Operations Center to Branco Enterprises, Inc. earlier this month. Crews are expected to begin excavation the second week of October and start building construction in November, according to a county news release.

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The Operations Center, to be located on what is now a county-owned parking lot at 1210 Boonville Ave., will house a variety of county services, including janitorial and maintenance, print shop, microfilm, mailroom and supply storage, the release said.

The 17,500-square-foot, two-story building will include loading docks and warehouse space, according to the release.

Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin spoke before the unanimous vote to award the bid on Aug. 12.

"This is the building I think the county has needed for a long time," Cirtin said.

Six companies responded to the county's call for bids on this project, according to the release. Branco's bid came in nearly $600,000 under the original estimated budget. The entire project, including site prep, temporary utilities, equipment and other expenses, is expected to cost about $5 million.

Cirtin said in a statement: “This Center will be a big benefit to the daily workings of the County, so it is exciting to see this project start to take shape and beat initial budget estimates."

Branco's headquarters are in Neosho, with an office in Springfield, according to the company's website. The construction firm's portfolio includes Republic High School, the Kickapoo Corners Shopping Center and Vital Farms, an egg processing facility.

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Kevin Barnes, director of resource management at Greene County, said cost and other factors are considered when evaluating a bid.

“We want to work with reputable companies that understand the unique needs of the County and who have the experience to deliver projects on time and on budget," Barnes said. "We believe Branco is the right fit for this construction.”

The Operations Center building is one of several projects that are being funded by the county's new 1/2-cent sales tax, which was approved by voters in November. The revenue will also go toward building a jail expansion and doing court renovations, among other things.