When does a smaller-sized building cost more than a larger one?

When the state and federal government is involved.

That is just what the Blue Earth City Council learned at its regular meeting held last Monday night.

The city had asked for bids last June for a new SRE (snow removal equipment) airport building that would be built using Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) funds as well as state transportation airport money. The city would also be responsible for a smaller share of the cost.

When only one bid was received last summer, and it was 10 percent higher than the engineer’s estimate, the city rejected the bid.

Now, the city asked Bolton and Menk engineers to present plans for a smaller building.

But, on Monday night, the council learned smaller isn’t always cheaper.

“Because of the way the FAA and state figure their funding, the smaller-size building will actually cost the city a little bit more for their share than the larger one,” Ron Roetzel of Bolton and Menk reported. “It has to do with areas of the new structure being eligible or ineligible for the funding.”

The FAA pays 95 percent of the cost of eligible areas, and the state picks up 75

percent of the remaining cost.

The original size of the building was 54 feet by 46 feet. The new plan was five feet shorter.

However, Roetzel says the city’s share for the larger building was estimated to be $32,030, while the estimate for the city share of the smaller version came to $32,855.

“Of course, this all depends on what the estimates actually come in at,” Roetzel says. “If the bids are lower, then the city share will be lower.”

The council voted to proceed with the plans and to ask for bids for both the larger and smaller size buildings in February.

“I think if we get bids in February, and tell the bidders the building can be constructed anytime in 2017, we will get a lot more bids than just one this time,” Roetzel said.

The City Council also heard about and discussed several other projects, and gave its vote of approval to most of them.

One was a proposal to do some repair to the roofs at the Three Sisters buildings in downtown Blue Earth.

City administrator Tim Ibisch reported that the roofs had been inspected the week before.

“They are in pretty good shape, actually. Better than I expected,” Ibisch related. “If they would only have had routine maintenance these past few years they would be in great shape.”

Ibisch said the total estimate to restore the roofs was put at $30,000 for both repair work and installing a new rubber membrane over the area.

Tim Clawson, of the Faribault County Development Corporation that assists the city’s economic development authority, suggested the council authorize doing the $13,000 in patch and repair work yet this year, so it would not get worse over winter.

“Then you could do the $17,000 roof replacement next year,” he said. “Or if the buildings are sold, the new owner would know how much it would cost him to get the roofs replaced, and that it comes with a 10-year warranty.”

That is exactly what the council voted to do.

Ibisch and Clawson also reported that the cleanout of the buildings is basically completed, and that 22 dumpster loads were needed at the end.

City attorney David Frundt also reported that the notices about the personal property inside the Three Sisters buildings has been published.

He added that it means by March the city should be able to auction off or sell the property, should no one make claim to it.

The property is mainly composed of 40 pianos, six organs and a variety of miscellaneous things.

Another project involved the Blue Earth Light & Water purchasing a 1.4-acre parcel of land from Seneca Foods that is on the south end of their property but north of the storage unit facility.

Blue Earth Light & Water has a generator on the land in question, as well as underground cable around it.

Purchase price is $20,000, manager Tim Stoner told the councilmen. The council gave its approval to the purchase, which will be made with Blue Earth Light & Water funds.

In other business, the council on Monday:

Heard an update on the new Chamber of Commerce building project from director Cindy Lyon.

Lyon said the chamber has raised approximately $200,000 for the building project, which is estimated to cost around $500,000.

She said the chamber is still seeking donations, some possible state funding, and is applying for several grants. One of those is the Brownfield Grant which requires an official City Council vote of support.

The council voted to give it.

Approved appointment of Bonita Zimmer to the Blue Earth City Library board.

Approved abatement of a large sewer bill that was caused by an outside water faucet left on for a period of time.

Heard an update from four students from Minnesota State University, Mankato, dealing with last summer’s city survey.