Looking to provide western Nevada County with its own economic stimulus, two local contractors have partnered with a well-known Sacramento builder in hopes of landing an estimated $11 million Sierra College expansion project.

It’s been more than four years since Nevada County voters (21,286 to 14,863) approved Measure G to issue $47 million in bonds to expand and renovate the Sierra College campus in Grass Valley.

Local contractors were disappointed when the first half of that project — $20 million — was awarded to the international corporation Turner Construction, which recently completed a new classroom building and two new arts facilities with no local subcontractors.

“We were led to believe by Tina Ludutsky-Taylor (former head of the Grass Valley campus) that the work would stay as local as possible,” Nevada County Contractor’s Association Executive Director Barbara Bashall said at the time the Phase 1 contract was awarded to Turner.

One of the problems facing local contractors was their lack of specific experience in school construction, a process that includes heavy state regulation.

So local contractors Keoni Allen and Tim Brady decided to partner with Sacramento-based Clark & Sullivan Construction in a three-way effort to ensure that most of the work for Phase 2 of the project — which includes a gymnasium, multi-purpose facility, wellness center and renovations to some existing buildings — stays local.

Serving as project manager, Clark & Sullivan would work with Brady’s Tru-Line Builders on the estimated $7.9 million construction of the gymnasium, multi-purpose facility and wellness center. The Sacramento company would work with Allen’s Sierra Foothills Construction Co. on the estimated $3 million modernization and renovation of classrooms and other existing facilities.

Brady and Allen are based in Grass Valley.

“This could be a real economic stimulus for Nevada County,” said Allen. “And it could come as early as this summer.”

The three companies submitted their joint proposals for review Tuesday. The next step would be a formal interview.

Sierra College administrators are hoping construction can start as early as June 1, pending approval from the Division of State Architecture.

“When the project was announced, Tim and I got together to try to get all of it local,” said Sierra Foothill’s Allen. “But once the RFQ (Request For Qualifications) was reviewed, we realized we didn’t have a lot of experience in school construction, so we sought out the Northern California leader in that arena in Clark & Sullivan.”

Allen and Brady hooked up with Clark & Sullivan’s Dennis Stephan and drafted joint venture agreements.

“We wanted to bring the college a team that would have the experience they were looking for and the local component that western Nevada County residents were looking for when they approved the bond,” said Allen.

Brady hopes the project will provide economic stimulus to the county, which is not expected to be included in federal programs.

“Most of the federal stimulus plan will have little or no impact on our area,” Brady said. “Even if we could keep 80 percent of the Sierra College project money on the hill, it would provide $8 million in direct stimulus to the construction and building supply industry that would translate to more money for the grocery stores, gas stations, barbershops and restaurants. It’s $8 million that would have otherwise gone down the hill.”

Brady estimated about $40,000 of the $20 million spent in Phase 1 of the project stayed local.

‘Reasonable timetable’

A 25-year Nevada County resident, Allen started Sierra Foothills Construction Co. in 1986. His projects have included several medical buildings and the new Hospice facility in Grass Valley. The company also completed The Union’s $2 million renovation in 2007.

Brady’s Tru-Line Builders has been in business 27 years, touting among its projects the new BriarPatch store on Litton Drive. The company is building a new facility for AJA Video just up the road from BriarPatch and Sierra College. Brady has lived in Nevada County 35 years.

Clark & Sullivan was founded in 1981, specializing in school construction and lease-leaseback projects, which authorize school districts, without advertising for bids, to lease property to the builder.

At the end of the lease period, the property and buildings return to the school district.

The lease-leaseback structure has been shown to help ensure the project comes in on time and on budget, since many contractors otherwise bid low, but end up charging much more in change-orders and construction overruns.

The structure also allows the district flexibility in selecting local contractors.

“This (proposal) is exactly what we’ve been hoping for,” said Sierra College Trustee Aaron Klein. “We wanted to create interest and opportunity for Nevada County-based contractors to keep as much of the money in the local economy as possible. We are one step closer in a multi-step process, but this is a very, very exciting and thrilling first step.”

Klein is hopeful that construction can start this summer.

“We’ve got an experienced team at Sierra College, and they have taken a lot of projects through this process, but I think we’re on a reasonable timetable.”

To contact Editor/Publisher Jeff Ackerman, call 477-4299 or e-mail jackerman@theunion.com.