The Vigo County Capital Improvement Board (CIB) has selected Garmong Construction Services in Terre Haute as the new $25 million Terre Haute Convention Center’s construction manager.
The CIB says it will begin contract negotiations with Garmong, after evaluating and interviewing three contenders.
The Tribune-Star reports that Steve Bauer, vice-president of construction services for Nations Group LLC, said bidders included Garmong, Chicago-based Pepper Construction Group and Indianapolis-based Wilhem Construction.
Bauer said all three firms were interviewed on Sept. 7. Each firm’s interview was ranked by committee members. Those committee members were Bauer; Jon Marvel, CIB president and a county commissioner; CIB board members Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett and Steve Witt, who also president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp.; and Brent Davis, a representative of CSO Architects, which will design the center.
“We distributed a scoring sheet, which were filled out independently and submitted,” Bauer said.
Pepper Construction score averaged of 81.6 points; Wilhem Construction score averaged of 88.6 points; and Garmong averaged 94.6 points, Bauer said.
“This convention center will be a staple in our community and will contribute to Vigo County’s economic growth exponentially,” said CIB chair Jon Marvel. “With a project this large, we need the best of the best. Garmong’s score across the committee was significantly higher.”
The City of Terre Haute, Vigo County, and the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau are funding the project.
The CIB’s preliminary schedule calls for the project to be completed in 2020.
