Sequim approves $200,000 kitchen remodel in the Guy Cole Convention Center

By Matthew Nash

Olympic Peninsula News Group

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

The council unanimously approved Monday a contract for about $199,727, including a 10 percent construction contingency, with Hoch Construction of Port Angeles, which 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, council members opted not to pay for renovations, estimated at about $87,500, to the breakout rooms on the east side 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 the city has options for Phase III that would include the breakout rooms.

Bush suggested the city 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 Council members discussed options for the second phase in June, the estimate for the project grew.

The council originally approved June 26 spending up to $166,000 for kitchen and breakout room improvements.

A few council members 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 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 Councilwoman 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 that after using the space, more ideas might 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 Councilwoman Candace Pratt said Monday a proposal for renaming the center will come to the council in the future because the city has 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.

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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.