Gilroy-based Kent Construction has been awarded a nearly $8 million construction contract to build a new fire station for the City of Morgan Hill.
The new, 6,065-square-foot Morgan Hill Fire Department station will be located at 17285 Butterfield Blvd., at the former site of the community garden next to the South County Courthouse.
The Morgan Hill City Council unanimously approved the contract at the June 7 meeting.
The city sent out a request for bids in April and received only one bid, which was from Kent Construction, according to city staff. The contractor’s total base bid for the project was $6,854,875. With “additive alternatives” added to the project, the total cost of the construction project is $7,956,553.
Those additions include a covered parking lot, solar panels on the building, solar panels in the parking lot, a concrete hose drying rack and an electricity microgrid system, says a city staff report.
The construction contract also includes demolition of existing facilities at the site, installation and construction of the single-story stucco wood framed fire station, surrounding site work and ADA upgrades, according to city staff. The fire station’s design was created by Jeff Katz Architects, now known as COAR Design Group, per a contract approved by the council in December 2022.
The new building will be the fourth fire station in Morgan Hill, including the CalFire Santa Clara Unit headquarters on Monterey Road just south of town. The contract with Kent Construction requires the Butterfield station to be completed by August 2024.
During a discussion of the project at the June 7 meeting, some council members urged city staff to request that Kent Construction prioritize local subcontractors and apprenticeship programs in the completion of the Butterfield station. City Attorney Don Larkin said the city is likely prohibited by state law from requiring the contractor to use a local workforce, but staff could ask Kent Construction to do so.
