Out of the five bids Powder Springs received for the possible renovations of a former barbershop downtown, Early Construction Company out of Cedartown came in with the lowest price of $67,890.

The other four bids the city received by Wednesday morning’s deadline were from Powder Springs’ J.L. Brooks Construction ($69,900), Lawrenceville’s Utility Construction Services ($81,500), Lawrenceville’s RBA Construction ($85,000), and Norcross’s Hogan Construction Group ($85,000). Hogan is the general contractor for the new police station.

The vacant building located next to the Book Worm Bookstore was purchased by the city to make way for the Lewis Road extension, which connects C. H. James Parkway and Marietta Street.

Three possibilities discussed for the building at a June work session were a visitor center, city office space, and leasing the building.

For now, though, the City Council could still decide against moving forward with the project, City Clerk Dawn Davis said.

“The council will need to review the bids and the recommendation from staff,” she said. “They could choose to do the project or they may decide to not do it at this time.” 

She said members probably won’t make a decision until at least September.

The renovation was budgeted as a capital improvement project for last fiscal year but was postponed because of other city projects. All the bids meet or are within the city’s $65,000 to $85,000 estimated cost range.

The outside of the building would remain the same during the renovation, but the interior—which includes two office-like rooms, a bathroom, and a reception area—would be redone. It also needs electrical and plumbing.