Greene County Parks and Trails in Ohio had an operational dilemma. The department, including staff and equipment, was spread out over four different locations. This segmentation hindered communication, and it did not foster a culture among the greater group. Additionally, Greene County parks were no longer just trails where someone would come to walk, the parks were now green space destinations for events, activities, and family enjoyment. To position itself to support this growth and better serve its community, Greene County Parks and Trails recognized the need to merge all facets of the department under one roof. But where to begin? The department hadn’t taken on a new construction project in 40 years!
As it began exploring options for a new facility, Greene County Parks and Trails received a preliminary design from an architectural firm. To its dismay, the preliminary design was over budget, and the project was going to extend beyond the date it needed to occupy the building. Before giving up on its dream, the department reached out to Brentwood Builders to see if there was another option.
“We started by listening well,” said Chad Coe, vice president of business development at Brentwood Builders. “After our initial conversations with Greene County, we knew we had a solution to offer that would help them control costs and schedule. We were confident we could deliver the quality facility they needed without going through the traditional design-bid-build process, thanks to our relationship with Butler and BlueScope Construction.”
BlueScope Construction has been awarded a supplier contract by Sourcewell. A leading cooperative purchasing agency, Sourcewell streamlines the procurement process for government agencies, municipalities, educational institutions, and nonprofits. It develops RFPs for national, competitive solicitations that meet or exceed local requirements. On behalf of its members, the vetting process is rigorous, and once a contract has been awarded to a supplier, the competitive bid process has been satisfied. This allows members to work with a vetted supplier, such as BlueScope Construction, without having to conduct its own RFP and bidding process. This saves the government, education, and nonprofit entities time and money.
As a Sourcewell member, Greene County Parks and Trails was able to partner with BlueScope Construction to design and engineer its new structure. BlueScope Construction partnered with Brentwood Builders to carry out the construction.
“The time and money saved using this process really speak volumes to being fiscally responsible with public dollars,” said Chuck Frazier, operations manager and Chief Ranger at Greene County Parks & Trails. “We received a 10,000-square-foot larger building at a cost savings of $1 million, and it reduced an unmeasurable amount of staff time including county commissioners, county administrator, legal department, department heads, and associates by the process being a one-stop-shop.”
The completed facility, a 25,565-square-foot structure, includes both office space and garage space for vehicle storage, and maintenance. It also houses offices for maintenance staff, park naturalists, and park rangers. The facility also includes rooms to host animals from the nature center, as well as an evidence holding room for the park rangers.
From start-to-finish, watch how the new Greene County Parks & Trails facility came to life, and learn more about their experience using BlueScope Construction and Sourcewell.
