There seems to be no end in sight to the ongoing repairs at the historical Amador CountyMuseum. What began as a roof repair soon escalated into a full construction overhaul after serious deficiencies in the 150 year old structure were discovered. In a presentation Tuesday before the Board of Supervisors, General Services Director Jon Hopkins outlined the updated plan of attack and urged the Board to waive the formal bidding procedure and approve a contract addendum for the sum of 113,955 dollars in additional repairs. The Board also agreed to purchase glass from the Glass Architects company in the amount of 22,600 dollars and Youngdahl Consulting Group in the amount of 5,200 dollars.

“We’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to formulate the best method of attack with the carpenters and engineers,” said Hopkins. After comparing proposed construction bids between a number of competing companies, the County decided upon Otto Construction, one of the few contractors who specialize in the restoration of older buildings. The Board had initially considered putting the additional repair work back out for bid so the contractors could compete for the lowest offer. Hopkins also urged the Board to consider the many other structures in Amador County that need repairs. “When I look at the total here, we’re going to spend 450,000 dollars just on this (museum). We need to eventually think about stopping and diverting that money to other properties that need it,” he said. Supervisor Ted Novelli congratulated Hopkins and all others involved on the effort they have put into this project. Hopkins will continue to update the Supervisors on the progress of the project during future Board meetings.