Gainesville council approves parking deck contract

GAINESVILLE - Work on Gainesville's Georgia Mountains Center parking deck expansion begins just after the first of the year; The city council Tuesday morning approved the $6.8-million construction project.

Related work is underway with demolition of the old Greater South Supply Company building the city bought to create additional parking.

City Manager Bryan Shuler said that parking would be needed when work begins on the new deck.

"There are over 200 parking spaces in the parking deck," Shuler said. "We estimate we can get 90 to 95 spaces in the Greater South lot."

Shuler said downtown should have a total 180 spaces with the existing Main Street parking lot. When completed in about six months, the new deck will contain more than 400 parking spaces.

The low bidder for the deck expansion was a local firm, Optum Construction Group Inc., at $6,146,000.

The city added $614,600 for contingency and $89,400 for staff time, additional construction services from consultants, legal fees and miscellaneous expenditures.

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