Price tag going up for Game and Fish’s new Cody headquarters

Posted 6/3/21

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved a change order for construction of the new Cody Regional office, increasing the price of the project by $329,675.76 for power services and materials. The …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Price tag going up for Game and Fish’s new Cody headquarters

Posted

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved a change order for construction of the new Cody Regional office, increasing the price of the project by $329,675.76 for power services and materials. The price increase is primarily due to increasing building material costs.

Construction is underway for the facility, which is expected to be complete by mid-summer of 2022. The project was delayed for a few weeks in January, while the Game and Fish confirmed that the low bidder on the project, BH, Inc., qualified as a Wyoming company. 

“Every week we wait to finalize costs, we see an increase in the materials prices,” said John Kennedy, deputy director of internal operations for Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “Approving costs now is the best use of sportsperson funds.”

The Game and Fish says another change order is coming, tied to the rising cost of other materials. The new estimate will be ready for approval in early June.

Material prices have been skyrocketing across the country.

Georgia Pacific Building Products, one of the largest wood products manufacturers in North America, reports construction materials have experienced significant rates of price increases and continue to soar “causing a rise in development costs of commercial high rises, offices and other buildings that require a significant amount of building materials,” the company reports. “Rampant prices are not only affecting the construction industry, but are also creating a significant impact on developers, distributors, and contractors.”

The National Association of Home Builders reports material prices have been especially volatile “in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased demand and supply-side constraints.” Unprecedented spikes in lumber prices have added nearly $36,000 to the average price of a new single-family home, and nearly $13,000 to the price of a multifamily home since April 2020, the association reported.

“The escalating lumber prices are largely due to insufficient domestic production and extremely large lumber mill curtailments that lasted well into the 2020 building season,” the association said in April.

The Game and Fish Commission has budgeted up to $10 million for the new Cody office, paid entirely with funds from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses.

“No State of Wyoming general funds will be used,” Sara DiRienzo, a spokeswoman for the department, said in a news release.

Comments