After taking a short time to deliberate, Monroe County magistrates unanimously agreed Tuesday to award a design build contract to J&S Construction, of Cookeville, Tenn., for the Monroe Family Wellness Center project.

“We’re just humbled that we’ve been given this opportunity to serve the people of Monroe County and we are very confident that we will do a good job for them,” said John Stites II, chief executive officer for J&S Construction.

The project involves constructing a six-lane swimming pool, a cardio fitness area and support facilities, and will be the second building of the multi-phase project.

J&S was one of three companies to submit proposals. Alliance Corporation, of Glasgow, and Venture Contracting Inc., of Glasgow, also submitted proposals. J&S Construction’s proposal included a specific dollar amount for the second building of the wellness center. Representatives for both Alliance and Venture said their proposals did not include specific dollar amounts because they were presenting what could be constructed based on a $2.5 million budget.

The same three companies bid on the first building of the wellness center for which Alliance was awarded the contract as the low bidder. The building was completed in early 2009.

After learning that magistrates had decided to award the contract for the second building to J&S Construction, Terry Harvey, executive vice president of Alliance Corporation, declined to comment, except to say the magistrates chose “the company they felt comfortable with.”

Daryl Wheeler, president of Venture Contracting Inc., said, “Of course I don’t feel very well about it,” but declined to comment further.

Each company was given 30 minutes Tuesday to make a presentation to Monroe County magistrates, followed by a short question and answer session.

Some of the questions magistrates, members of the wellness center’s executive committee and Jeff Arnold with Arnold Consulting Engineering Services Inc. of Bowling Green asked during the presentations concerned design build experience, ability to finish the project on time, type of insulation to be used, salt or chlorine swimming pool, additional parking spaces, height of the fence around tennis courts, and whether lighting for the tennis courts is included in the proposals.

Each company was asked basically the same types of questions. However, representatives with Alliance Corporation were questioned about problems with the existing building, which opened for public use two months ago. Some of those problems involved the swelling of the racquetball court due to the absence of a humidity control device, water seeping under the exterior doors and a leaking roof.

“I know there are some problems on the other one and I think we’ve stayed with you,” Harvey told those present during the interview.

Magistrate Alonzo Ford pointed out that some of the problems have yet to be remedied.

“I think someone ought to have stepped up to the plate and fixed it,” he said.

Harvey pointed out that they didn’t design the building. The structure was designed by GRW Inc., of Lexington, and constructed by Alliance.

Rita Crabtree, chairwoman of the Wellness Center’s board of directors, said the board was forced to fix some of the problems on its own, such as repairing the doors to keep water from seeping underneath and purchasing a humidity control device to regulate the humidity in the racquetball court area.