Sharon Schmitz of Treanor Architects, St. Louis, the design firm for the project, briefed the commissioners on steps her company could take to assist in the site selection process. Schmitz told the commissioners her company would survey up to three potential sites for a fee of $5,000. After hearing the proposal, Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage made a motion to hire Treanor to conduct the site analysis. But his motion failed to draw a second from either Southern District Commissioner Randy Lewis or Northern District Commissioner Jim Logan. Without a second, the motion died. "I believe we can determine the site location on our own," said Lewis. Engelage vehemently disagreed with that observation. "We need help selecting the site," Engelage observed, "so that we don't miss something. This is a vital decision for the future of our county and we need to make sure we get this right." Engelage said he was very disappointed by Tuesday's events. "In my opinion, they (other commissioners) have let the taxpayers down," he explained. Lewis countered by saying he believed he was acting in the best interests of the public by opting not to go forward with hiring Treanor for the site survey. Tuesday's action leaves the commissioners with the decision of where to build the proposed two-story building with a walkout basement. The projected size of the building is expected to be between 30-36,000 square feet. Initial cost estimates put the building's pricetag at between $5 and $7 million. The commissioners clearly appear split on that site location. Lewis and Logan said recently they support a downtown site. Engelage said he is more willing to look outside the immediate downtown area. They have looked at roughly 15-20 sites, but are believed to have narrowed the process down to just three: a 1.8-acre site behind the current Warren County Courthouse; a 4-5 acre parcel in the southeast corner of Brune Business Park; or a parcel of land opposite Rebecca Boone Elementary School and adjacent to the Truesdale Industrial Park. "We're at a standstill right now," Engelage observed. "This (Treanor survey) would have gotten us moving forward again." Engelage said he favored hiring Treanor to conduct the study because it would have represented a fair, impartial analysis of the sites commissioners were considering. "They are afraid of what the results will show," Engelage charged. "Their decision will not be unbiased." Schmitz told the commissioners her company has performed numerous site surveys for other clients throughout the years. "We try to help take some of the emotion out of the process," Schmitz said. Treanor's process, according to Schmitz, weighs 27 factors including size of the proposed facility, parking, highway accessibility, traffic congestion and the potential for expansion. The study provides a "report card" of sorts which reflects the strengths and weaknesses of each building site. "Not all factors have equal weight," she said. "But this process gives us a score which is as unbiased as we can make it." Schmitz also said the survey would encompass the shape of each site, topography, the proximity to residential areas, availability of utilities and the current ownership status of the property. The county has a design agreement with Treanor which has not yet been signed. The commissioners said they were waiting to complete the site selection process before finalizing the document. "The clock isn't ticking yet," Schmitz told the commissioners. But the commissioners do face one potential hurdle. Schmitz told them at some point "within the next four to six months" Treanor may need to re-evaluate the cost figures for the new administration building. "Construction costs are rising," she said, "and they are going up faster than your interest rates on the money you have for this project." "This delay is just costing the taxpayers of Warren County," concluded Engelage.