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Bond team reports progress on medical-examiner CMAR, park projects and animal-shelter design
Summary
County bond managers told Commissioners Court the Office of the Medical Examiner CMAR solicitation is underway, Escarate Park and other park projects are advancing into design and procurement, and the animal-shelter design contract is in negotiation; staff highlighted new procurement approaches.
El Paso County's bond performance team briefed Commissioners Court on Aug. 21 with updates across multiple voter-approved capital-improvement projects, saying several procurements are moving and new contracting approaches are being used to shorten schedules and consider factors beyond lowest bid.
The presentation covered a wide portfolio: a construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) procurement for the new Office of the Medical Examiner, a competitive sealed-proposal procurement for the Escarate Park administrative building, emerging design contracts for Gallegos Park and the county animal shelter, plus updates on parks and trail projects countywide.
Why it matters: commissioners said timely execution of bond projects will preserve public trust and deliver visible results after recent bond votes. Bond staff emphasized the use of procurement methods intended to improve outcomes on complex projects.
Key project updates and procurement notes:
- Office of the Medical Examiner (CMAR): staff held a pre-proposal meeting Aug. 13 and said they are using a CMAR delivery to reduce negotiation time. Proposals are due Sept. 11; staff aim to bring an award and accompanying contract to the court so the procurement and contract negotiation occur in parallel with an anticipated construction start in early 2026. Assistant County Attorney Erica Rosales said the team will use standard AIA contract language and that CMAR bidders are familiar with that form.
- Escarate Park administrative building: procurement will use a competitive sealed-proposal process that allows evaluation factors beyond lowest price; staff are developing evaluation criteria and front-end documents with the county attorney.
- Animal shelter and park designs: design contracts for the animal shelter and Gallegos Park are in negotiation; staff expect to finalize contracts and begin community outreach and public meetings. Staff indicated the animal-shelter design will include early and frequent public engagement.
- Sports Park field-lighting modernization and other park projects: kickoff events and community meetings are scheduled in the coming months; staff said cooperative purchasing and contractor selection have shortened project timelines in some cases.
Implementation and oversight: staff said the county uses in-house project managers and architects for oversight and that architects review design and change-order proposals before they reach the court. Staff acknowledged that unforeseen underground conditions sometimes generate change orders, but they described a review process intended to negotiate and limit costs before items are brought to the court.
Quotes and procurement rationale: Karen Davidson, capital program manager, described the CMAR objective: "What we're hoping to do... is take out about a year of negotiating a contract on a bond project." Assistant County Attorney Erica Rosales noted use of the AIA contract to provide a familiar contract form to bidders.
Next steps: staff will return with procurement updates in September, finalize design contracts for Gallegos Park and the animal shelter, and schedule community meetings for project input.
