Despite bids coming in higher than expected, Sequim City Councilors opted to move forward with the second phase of remodeling the 34-year-old Guy Cole Center’s kitchen in Carrie Blake Park.

On Monday, Sept. 11, they unanimously approved a contract for about $199,727 including a 10-percent construction contingency with Hoch Construction of Port Angeles, who remodeled the first phase of the center.

The scope of the project includes bringing the kitchen in compliance with the state’s guidelines and the city’s own regulations, adding and/or replacing equipment such as an oven hood and fire suppression system, a freezer, ice machine, lighting, and flooring along with providing electrical and plumbing hookups for future items.

Due to costs, city councilors opted not to pay for renovations, estimated about $87,500, to the breakout rooms in the eastside of the building.

Matt Klontz, city engineer, said the breakout rooms will probably be the least used of the facilities and “we can regroup at a later date and do on our own in-house.”

City Manager Charlie Bush said they now have options for phase III which would include the breakout rooms.

Bush suggested they may seek more grants and/or fund the project through the city’s capital budget.

“Maybe we’ll incorporate a few things into it as we go along,” he said.

Klontz said since city councilors discussed options for the second phase in June the estimate for the project grew.

City Councilors originally approved spending up to $166,000 for kitchen and breakout room improvements on June 26.

A few city councilors preferred completing the whole project now anyway with the breakout rooms included.

Deputy Mayor Ted Miller asked, “Why stop at 98 percent completion? Let’s do the whole option.”

Sue Hagener, administrative services director, said the city has about $200,000 available for the project with $72,000 from the grant for phase I, $34,000 in unspent Hotel-Motel Lodging tax revenue for renovations, $69,000 in general funds, and $25,000 in Real Estate Excise Tax funds.

Hagener said paying for “the whole enchilada makes me nervous but we have options here,” which included using the city’s general fund reserves to pay off debt on the Sequim Civic Center’s construction faster.

City Councilor Pam Leonard-Ray said she liked the idea of finishing the kitchen but it’s “great to put money in reserves.”

“We’ve been neglecting equipment reserves to do other things (and) we’ve taken money that has gone into visible projects,” she said.

Leonard-Ray suggested putting the breakout rooms and furniture into a future proposed budget and after using the space more ideas may come to them to better use it all.

The Guy Cole Convention Center reopened in May after closing for renovations in early 2016 to improve the main bathroom, lower the ceiling and add new acoustic tiles, paint the building, and install new carpet, windows and trim, a new roof and exterior lighting.

The convention center was built and finished in 1983 by the Sequim Lions Club and named after community advocate Guy Cole, who served in many roles.

City Councilor Candace Pratt said Monday that a proposal for renaming the center will come to the city council in the future because they’ve received approval from the Cole family and Sequim Valley Lions to rename the facility.

When construction begins on the second phase of the center has not been set.

For more information on the Guy Cole Convention Center, call the city of Sequim at 360-683-4139 or visit www.sequimwa.gov.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

Sequim City Councilors approved a contract on Sept. 11 worth almost $200,000 to remodel the kitchen in the Guy Cole Convention Center. They opted to wait on remodeling breakout rooms due to cost. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash

On May 16, Sequim Mayor Dennis Smith and representatives with the City of Sequim and Sequim-Dungeness Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon on the remodel of the Guy Cole Convention Center in Carrie Blake Community Park. Construction on the building’s kitchen will soon begin as the second phase of the remodeling. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash