Franklin County is finally ready to move forward with installing a new fire suppression system at the Fort Coombs Armory in Apalachicola.
The project has been delayed because of the unexpected high cost of installing the system.
Bids came in at more than double what the county expected.
The lowest bid for the work was nearly 970 thousand dollars, far above the expected cost of 425 thousand.
The engineers for the project managed to pare down the cost to about 690 thousand dollars, and the local tourist development council agreed this month to kick in an additional 270 thousand dollars to cover the costs.
The rest of the money is coming from the State Fire Marshall’s office and insurance proceeds.
The installation of a new fire suppression system at the Fort Coombs Armory is necessary if the county wants to use the building as a convention center and destination for private events
Without the system, the building is limited to a capacity of only 50 people, though it will easily hold many more than that.
The project also requires the removal of lead-based paint from the building which will have to be done before the installation of the sprinkler system.
Once the work is complete, The Tourist Development Council will manage the bookings, maintaining the location calendar and handling the promotion of the armory as a destination venue.
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