OUR VIEW: Town got a sweet deal to renovate police station

» The prolonged recession has actually benefitted town residents in one regard: Huge savings are in order for the 5-0’s new HQ.

Not too long ago, a government construction project coming in significantly under budget was virtually unheard of. As the construction industry boomed for the better part of this decade, so too did the cost of building everything from roads to schools.

Those days are history — at least for now. And while a recession brings its share of pain for the public and private sector, it also opens windows of opportunity for governments looking to get bargain-basement prices on major projects — in the most recent case, the town of Culpeper’s long overdue move to a new police station.

When bids came in last week, the town learned it would pay about half of what it had planned to spend for renovating the cops’ new headquarters — a 1960s-era warehouse on Old Brandy Road. That’s a savings of about $1.7 million. Desperate for work, 16 contractors placed bids.

To put it in context, consider this quote from project manager Bob Anderson with Dominion Development of Charlottesville: “I have been in this business 40 years, and I have never had a bidding situation that looked like this. I have never seen a bid come in this low.”

Nobody likes sweating out a prolonged economic downturn, but the dark clouds hanging over us still have some silver linings. As taxpayers, it’s a nice change of pace to actually get a good deal on such a worthwhile project. A new police station will go a long way toward boosting morale, enhancing local law enforcement and creating a better community in general.

- TOWN’S BIRTHDAY: On another town-related note, Culpeper’s 250th birthday bash kicks off a month from today. The weekend of Sept. 19-20 will feature all sorts of fun, history-filled events for the entire family. Especially appropriate was Town Council’s recent proclamation noting the anniversary. To learn more about the 250th birthday ceremony, and to find out how you can help, visit culpeper250th.org.