On February 13th, the Silver Bay Public Library held a special board meeting to determine which contractors to contact for a bid for the library renovation. The library is working with Sourcewell, a service cooperative created by the Minnesota legislature. Sourcewell offers contract purchasing solutions, technology solutions, and regional programs and services to all governmental and educational entities. The City of Silver Bay has also looked into Sourcewell for various city projects.
Seven contractors are available for construction in Silver Bay, three of which are regional or have Duluth offices. The library can contact any and all of the seven for a bid. So, who are the seven contractors the library could contact?
Baratto Brothers Construction is located in Crosslake. Founded in 2002 by Jim Baratto, Baratto once stated, “it is the company’s responsibility to make a lifetime commitment to projects no matter how big or small they are.” The company is a general contractor, custom home, and commercial builder. Two projects Baratto Brothers has worked on are the Crow Wing County Historical Society and the Isanti Sheriff’s Office.
Kraus-Anderson is located in Minneapolis, with an office in Duluth. Founded in 1897, Kraus-Anderson is consistently ranked in the U.S. Top 20 Construction Firms in the Midwest by Engineering News-Record. They are an “integrated development, construction, and real estate leasing and management enterprise.” Two of Kraus-Anderson’s projects have been the Duluth International Airport Terminal and the Spirit Mountain Chalet in Duluth.
The Jamar Company is located in Duluth. Founded in 1913, they are a “solution-focused specialty-services provider”, and provide a number of construction-related services.
Nor-Son Inc. is located in Baxter. They have a construction branch and a “custom builders” branch of the company. Nor-Son Construction has done work for healthcare, commercial, and hospitality-related properties. Nor-Son Custom Builders has done custom homes, renovations, additions, and lake homes as well.
RAK Construction is located in East Bethel. Founded in 1989, RAK is a family-owned business. They offer many construction services, including remodeling and renovations, and have done work for many property types, including schools, police stations, and government facilities.
RJM Construction is located in Golden Valley. Founded in 1997, RJM is one of the largest contractors in Minnesota. Two of RJM’s projects were renovations for Metro Deaf School and renovations for the Minneapolis City Council Chambers.
VSI Construction is located in Maple Grove. Founded in 1987, their name stands for “Value, Service, and Integrity.” VSI worked on the Perpich Center for Arts Education and the Elk River Aldi, among many other projects.
At the library meeting, the question was raised whether to contact all seven contractors or just the ones located outside the Twin Cities area. Another question was raised as to whether any of the contractors specialize in or have done remodels.
It was decided that the library would contact all seven contractors to ask for a bid. The architects designing the renovations will be asked for their opinion on contractors as well. It will be exciting to see which company gets to work on the Silver Bay Public Library, and to see the library grow to meet the needs of current and future patrons.
