The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-10-02
Committee Sees Littl e
Chance When First Bids
Are Greater Than Amount
Co. May Issue In Bonds.
GENERAL BIDS DISAPPOINTING
Total of Low Estimates Shows Cost Of
Building Would Exceed $1,100,000
without Any Provisions For
Equipment and Furnishings

The chances that the County Board
at its session on Wednesday would
order the builders to proceed with the
erection of the proposed new county
court house, were not rosy this after
noon after the committee on buildings
had tabulated the bids on the big
building as received this morning.
These bids, taking the lowest esti-
mate under each feature of the bid
ding, showed that the building exclusive
of furnishings, interior decorations.
glazing rubber tile, sheet metal and
a lot of smaller items would cost. the
county $1,095,475.
As the state law limits the amount
of bonds to be issued by any county
for the construction of a court house
to one and one-half per cent of the
valuation of the property Of the county
and this one and one-half per cent
would amount to but $1,050,000 under
| the new state valuation the committee
was much at sea as to what recon-
mendation it would make to the board
tomorrow.
The estimate of the cost of furnish
ings and interior decoration and such
features of the contract as are not pro-
vided for in bids received today were
varied and they ran all the way from
$35O,O0o to 100000 with the latter
figure having the most supporters.
With the lowest figure the building
ready for occupancy would amount to
close to a million and half.
To this must still be added the
$1,000 which the county has now
paid for the site on which the building
is to be located.
The opening of the bids was quite
a function and the County Court room
was crowded with bidders. There was
a general desire to get general bid
en- the building but the three bids pre-
sented under the caption of general
bids" were notable mostly for the fact
that they left out lot of the biggest
items. The bid which came nearest be-
ing a general bid was from the APP
pleton Construction Company which Of
fered to do the work for 1851, 1922.
This bid did not include the heating
and plumbing, the Jail or lot of the
other of the small items.
The Fleischer Construction Company
of Minneapolis, had general bid of
100000 but it was short lot Of items.
The other general bid was from
Simmons Dick Company Of Blooming
ton, Ill, and the amount of 1t was
$s75, 900. It was mostly interesting for
the number of features of the building
that it did not provide for.
Members of the committee and the
architects and representatives of the
concerns bidding who were busy with
their pencils, admitted that under no
combination of bids would there be
possibility of completing the super
structure Of the building with heating
and plumbing for less than a million
dollars and most of them agreed that
the total would exceed this amount.
There were thirty different bids on
various features of the building. Sew
eral Kenosha bids were presented and
| it appeared that Louis Anderson was
the low bidder for the carpenter work
The Industrial Heating and Engineer
ing Company of Milwaukee, offered the
lowest bid on the heating plant the
amount Of this bid being $62,560 while
the lowest bid on plumbing came from
The American Heating Company at
Superior in total of $54,945. The
lowest bid for the Jail was presented
by the Paulley Jail Company of St,
Louis, the amount Of the bid being
$S4,838.
| When the bids had been opened the
committee admitted that it was hope
lessly at sea as to just what the build
ing would cost under the bids submitted
and an adjournment was taken until
two o'clock this afternoon to allow the
committee to hold an executive session
and if possible figure from the mass of
bids just what the cost of the build
ing would be under the best combina-
tions which could be made.
All contractors showed a willingness
to fight little shy of the steel stu
alton, but contractors present said that
the bids for steel were not overly high.
| The bids received today showed no
indication as to what the cost of the
equipment for the building would be as
the only bid for equipment was from
company who wanted to furnish the
kitchen equipment This under the bid
would cost 1852. The only bid receiv-
ed for the vacuum cleaner, without In