Under Construction

It’s beginning to look a lot like change in the city of Solon (OH).

Sourcewell contract holders Gordian and Regency Construction are involved in two major renovation projects in the Cleveland suburb – a $500,000 fire station dormitory space revamp, and improvements to a 185-year-old home within the city’s limits.

The city of Solon received over $820,000 in COVID-19 relief funding and opted to use those dollars to improve the second floor sleeping space at its Fire Station 1. According to the ordinance, the renovation was proposed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the potential spread of the virus through open spaces.

“Our existing fire station was built at a time when one large, open dormitory was the norm,” explained Solon Fire Chief Mark Vedder. “Since then, we have hired female firefighters; and diseases like COVID and the flu make these open dorms a safety issue.”

Vedder said the renovation project – which includes modernizing the space and making one, previously, large room into seven separate dorm rooms – will be complete at the end of this month.

“The Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement allowed us to move quickly and utilize grant funding for our project,” Vedder said. “It would likely not have been possible to meet the grant deadlines without it.”

No bull

The Bull House, named for city co-founder Lorenzo Solon Bull, was initially to undergo an internal and external facelift. However, the city rescinded the plan in April, in the wake of the pandemic, and opted to renovate the exterior and only do necessary interior construction at this time.

Regency Construction was selected as the general contractor for both projects under Gordian.