Darin Horst (left) and Steve Severson (right) with Davis Design discussed with Hall County Commissioners April 23 a request for proposals for a construction manager at risk for the Hall County Courthouse addition, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — Hall County Commissioners reviewed on Tuesday, April 23, a 116-page request for proposals draft for a construction manager at risk position for the addition to the Hall County Courthouse.
Steve Severson and Darin Horst of Davis Design appeared before the Commissioners on April 23. A draft of the RFP was sent to Commissioners last Friday.
Commissioner Gary Quandt asked how much a construction manager at risk would cost.
Horst responded that the position would cost 3 percent to 4 percent of the project cost.
Horst said that a construction manager at risk is not in control of the project and is a good team player.
Commissioners Quandt and Karen Bredthauer voted against hiring a construction manager at risk.
On Tuesday, Bredthauer said the cost was “one more piece of the pie. We could have a bigger building.”
Commissioner Pam Lancaster said, “There’s no one in this county (government) who has the expertise to watch over this project.” She said having a construction manager at risk was a “way to have the very finest building we can build.” Lancaster said. She noted that the courthouse addition would “at least span a good period of time” of the county’s needs into the future.
Quandt noted that the design for the courthouse addition would result in three county courtrooms and three district courtrooms.
“We need more courtrooms,” Quandt said.
In the draft of the RFP for the construction manager at risk, there is a project timeline. A contract for a construction manager at risk would be approved in July. There would be a schematic design cost estimate in August, a design development cost estimate in October, and a construction documents cost estimate in February 2025. Construction of the courthouse addition would begin in May 2025, and the project would be completed in September 2027.
The current courthouse was completed in 1904, making it 120 years old. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by architect Thomas Rogers Kimball.
“Care should be taken to preserve portions of the building that remain unaltered. Those spaces include the rotunda and the remaining portions of the original cast iron stairs,” the RFP said.
Approximately 50 new parking stalls are anticipated. A secure parking area will be enclosed by a fence.
The addition is “anticipated to be approximately 50,000 square feet when excluding the mechanical penthouse and lower level. The new facility will include a juvenile hearing room, three county courtrooms, and three district courtrooms. Judges and authorized employees will have a dedicated entrance adjacent to secure parking.
The new public entrance will be at the northeast corner of the addition. It will incorporate security screening. The offices for county court clerk and district court clerk will be near the public entry. The floor will include a juvenile hearing room, which will have the same functionality as a county courtroom.
“The historic portion is only intended to have limited public access. Aside from a family waiting space and the sheriff’s courts division office, most of the space is intended to receive minimal renovation for its new use as long-term storage,” the RFP said.
The second floor will have three county courtrooms. “Two skywalks will be added to allow secure circulation between the new addition and historic courthouse,” the RFP said.
The third floor is for district courtrooms. The addition will have two district courtrooms, and the other district courtroom will be in the historic courthouse section.
The RFP includes a floorplan for each floor of the courthouse and addition, with specific areas on each floor labeled concerning their use.
After Tuesday’s meeting Board Chairman Ron Peterson explained why a construction manager at risk is being considered. He said that a construction manager at risk works to find savings in a project.
“We don’t have anyone employed by the county who can oversee the project,” Peterson said.
