The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-11-23
MINNEAPOLIS FIRM LOWEST
Cost of Building Under Present Bids
Would Be in Neighborhood of $780,
600 Committee Expects Better Fig
ures With Better Understanding.

The club house committee Of the
Kenosha Elks met on Monday afternoon
and opened bids for the new club house
but out of more than forty bids offered
there was not a single bidder who Of
fered a figure on the completed build
ing. There was vast variation
| between the bids and the committee
decided to reject all bids and ask for
new bids with a view Of getting some
| firm of contractors who would take
| upon their shoulders the responsibility
Of completing the building to turning
the key on the front door. The open
ing of the bids drew a great company
of contractors and builders to Keno
sha. The bids on the general contract
ran all the way from $111,260 to
$136,950. The high and the low bids
| were offered by Kenosha contractors.
The low bid was that of Gottlieb
| Sclhaefer, but he failed to include in
his bid some of the portions of the
building included in the bid of the
Bailey-Marsh Company of Minneapolis
who had bid Of $112,649. There were
separate bids for heating and plumb
ing, for the carpenter and mason work,
for electrical work and for plastering
and for practically every feature of
the building. Combinations Of these
bids were encouraging, but the amounts
shown in the combinations were above
the estimate of the architect. Among
the contractors on the general bidding
were the James Cullen Construction
| Company of GAINESVILLE, Immel Con-
struction Company of Fond du Lac,
the Appleton Construction Company,
| the Mischie Construction Company of
Milwaukee, and J. G. Tully Of Kenosha.
Many local bids were received but
before the opening Of the bids several
of the local contractors sent word to
the members Of the committee that
they had not had time to work out
their bids. It was impossible to extend
the time, but with new letting the
local contractors will receive larger
number of the plans and specifications
and it is expected that there will be
more bids from them. Within week
the architect will revise his specifca-
tions with view of reducing the
cost of building, but none of the
important features Of the building
will be eliminated.
The unsatisfactory bids were great
diSaDDOintment to members of the com
mittee and members Of the lodge. 1t
had been hoped that the work of lay
ing the foundations for the building
would be underway before the cold
winter weather set in, but the neces-
sity of asking for new bids will make
it impossible to start work on the
building until after the first of Janu-
ary The next meeting Of the commit
tee is scheduled for next Monday af-
ternoon at which time the architect
will make a formal report ON the tabu-
lation of the separate bids offered on
various features of the building. It is
thought possible that the collection Of
the bids may bring a chance for a
much better price on the building.
The committee has made no plans
to. secure new sketches efor the building
and no action along this line will be
taken until after it is assured that the
building as planned can not be built
within the limit set by the committee.
This limit was $105,00O.