What Do You Think About the Proposed Waukee Community Center?

The idea's been on the table since late last summer yet remodeling has yet to begin on the proposed Waukee Community Center in the site of the old fire station at 355 Seventh St. in downtown Waukee.

Last night, at it's regular meeting, the shot down bids from contractors that far exceeded the city's original $400,000 estimate for the project.

What do you think? Is $575,000 too high a price to renovate the old fire station? What do you think the city should do now? Tell us in the comments.

According to a story in today's Des Moines Register, Waukee staff members said the bids were too high and they encouraged city council members to vote against them.

“The bids did come up substantially higher than what the original estimate was,” said Brad Deets, Waukee’s development services director. “…We anticipate meeting with the council here in short-order relative to plans on moving forward.”

The Waukee City Council first proposed renovation of the old fire station in August 2011. The cap on the project was, at that time, $400,000. In January, the project's architecture firm, G.E. Wattier, estimated the project could cost more than $575,000.

What do you think? Is $575,000 too high a price to renovate the old fire station? What do you think the city should do now?