The Hoover City Council voted 5-1 on Monday to approve an $827,000 contract with Coston General Contractors to build a new lake house next to City Hall, a project city officials say will carry a total price tag of about $926,000 once all costs are tallied, according to Hoover Sun. The new building will replace a lake house that had to be torn down because of structural problems.
Coston General Contractors submitted the lowest of eight bids received for the job, according to City Manager Brian Muenger, as reported by HooverSun.com. The city's own News Flash page described Coston's base bid as $818,800, a figure that differs from the $827,000 contract amount the council approved; the discrepancy between the two numbers has not been explained. At $270 per square foot, the project drew scrutiny on the council floor even as it moved forward on a 5-1 vote.
Muenger defended the price, saying it tracks with what similar commercial construction is costing elsewhere around Hoover right now. “The market is expensive. I think it's a quality product the community will get a lot of utilization out of,” he said, according to the same report. He added that the construction cost is in line with the general cost of commercial construction in the area.
One Dissenting Vote From Khristi Driver
Councilwoman Khristi Driver was the only member to vote against the construction contract. Her opposition is not new — she had previously said the project was too expensive when additional money was added to its budget earlier this year, per the HooverSun.com account.
Council President Casey Middlebrooks offered a different framing, emphasizing the lake house's value as a public gathering spot once it's finished. “It's there for the public to use,” he said, adding that the space will be available for events such as birthday parties, retirement parties, and showers, per a report from Hoover Sun.
A Pattern Of Rising Project Costs In Hoover
The lake house isn't the first Hoover public building to see its price climb well past early expectations. A similar pavilion with restrooms built in Bluff Park two years before the lake house vote cost the city $470,000, Muenger noted.
That Bluff Park pavilion project had its own history of cost overruns. It had been in development since at least 2018 and was delayed after construction bids came in higher than city officials had anticipated, according to earlier HooverSun.com coverage of the pavilion's 2023 opening. The lowest bid received in 2019 was $467,000, and the final construction cost was expected to land between $400,000 and $450,000. The finished pavilion includes a covered area, an uncovered patio, two ADA-compliant restrooms, and storage, janitorial and electrical closets.
For now, the new lake house contract heads into construction with Coston General Contractors at the helm, replacing a structure the city had to demolish once it was no longer structurally sound. Full details on the building's design, floor plan and construction timeline have not been made public.
