Council to consider contract for DPS office at Couch Park

STILLWATER, Okla. Plans and construction of new offices for the Department of Public Safetys driver license testing office are expected to be finalized at Mondays City Council meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Stillwater Muncipal Building, 723 S. Lewis. The Stillwater Utilities Authority Board of Trustees will meet immediately following the council meeting.

In September, the city and state agency finalized an agreement to convert space in a building at Couch Park, 702 E. 12th Ave., from a conference room to a driver license testing facility.

The state agency needed to find a new Stillwater location because a rent increase made the office more expensive than allowed by state guidelines.

The Couch Park office also is bigger, has its own entrance and a larger waiting area. It also will allow the DPS to offer commercial driver license testing several days a week. Enid is the closest commercial driver license testing facility.

Monday, the City Council will review bids and award a construction contract. The city had budgeted $135,000 for the project, and $6,800 already has been spent for architectural services, according to a report by Director of External Services John McClenny.

Five companies submitted bids.

McClenny recommends the city award the contract to low bidder, Diversified Labor and Construction. The contract will authorize expenditures of up to $88,000, including a built-in contingencyfund of $88,000.

If the city doesnt use all of the $135,000 budgeted for the project, the unused portion will be returned to the citys general fund budget, according to McClennys report.

The Department of Public Safety will pay a $1,416.66 license fee to Stillwater monthly for the office.

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Council to consider contract for DPS office at Couch Park