By Brenda Erdahl
A dental clinic in the new Wright County Government Center for low-income residents will be one step closer to becoming a reality with the selection of a dental architect.
Wright County Commissioners approved 4 to 1, with Commissioner Michael Kaczmarek casting the one dissenting vote, a recommendation to pursue a relationship with Auromira Architects. The recommendation directs the Dental Clinic Project Steering Committee to call references and if the company checks out, to start drafting a contract for commissioners to review.
The Steering Committee listened to architect presentations from three different firms before deciding to pursue Auromira. The other firms were BDH and Mohagen Hansen.
“All agreed Auromira had the best presentation,” said Commissioner Mary Wetter who is part of the Steering Committee and attended the meeting. Not only did Auromira Architects have the lowest bid, making it the most cost effective of the three companies, representatives were very knowledgeable when it comes to dental clinics and they were familiar with state bonding, Wetter said. The committee could also see, by their presentation, that they paid great attention to detail.
The only concern the committee had was that Auromira is a small firm and Commissioner Daleiden questioned whether that could hamper work being done on time.
Commissioner Kaczmarek, who has voiced his opinion at past meetings that the County should abandon its plan for a dental clinic and wait for better use for that space in the government center to come along, questioned a close to $12,000 expenditure to another architect regarding this project. It was explained that bill, paid in full by the UCare grant, was part of an initial expense to get the appropriate water and sewer utilities to the location while the government center was being built.
Commissioner Kaczmarek Requested to see a list of what the close to $12,000 expense paid for.
According to Wetter, the proposed dental clinic will take up a 6,200 square foot space in the lower level of the new Government Center. It will have 12 rooms in which dental care will be provided to low-income residents.