FARGO (KFGO-AM) - After nearly two years of planning, bid opening is set Tuesday for Fargo's new city hall. Mayor Tim Mahoney expects the bid to come in between $22 and $24 million, hopefully on the lower end. The original cost estimate was about $15 million.
Mahoney says costs have crept up because of the high demand for construction workers in the area. He says the cost jumped from $200 a square foot to as much as $218 a square foot. However, Mahoney says there's a lot of contractors that want to be a part of the iconic city government center project. That will mean competition among bidders and could keep the cost down.
Mahoney expects construction to start next month with ground work for the city hall's geo-thermal heating system. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete. It will be built on part of what is now the Civic Center parking lot and Centennial Hall which will be demolished.