Commissioners discuss hiring designer for North Annex construction drawings; $75,000–$80,000 estimate to convert preliminaries to bid-ready plans

The commissioners discussed moving forward with a professional-services contract to convert preliminary drawings for the Clark North Annex into full construction documents and to provide bidding oversight.

Staff said the proposed contract price was roughly $75,000, with an additional $5,000 allowance for electronics work, for a total near $80,000. The contract scope includes producing construction drawings from existing preliminary plans, overseeing the bidding process and managing construction administration similar to other county projects.

Commissioners asked to receive the larger-format preliminary drawings, to review the proposed plans together and to confirm the final scope before detailed design proceeds. One commissioner requested a sitting of three commissioners and staff to confirm the layout and to ensure quoted fees remain appropriate if the design changes. A staff member said they anticipated providing a final construction drawing set once the board blesses the preliminary layout.

Board members indicated a desire to move the project forward and to use existing grant funds already allocated for an elevator as part of the overall facilities plan, but they also emphasized the need to avoid scope creep and to confirm the contract details before final approval.

Why it matters: converting preliminary plans into bid-ready construction documents is a necessary step in delivering the annex project and enabling contractor bids; the $75,000–$80,000 scope will allow the county to solicit competitive construction pricing.

Next steps: staff will provide larger-format preliminary drawings for commissioner review, schedule a meeting for the three commissioners to review the layout and then return with a finalized contract for signature and to begin work on the construction drawings.