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Courthouse expansion moves above grade; county and contractor report on schedule and budget
Summary
Deschutes County facilities staff and Pence Construction reported April 2 that the courthouse expansion in Bend has progressed from foundation work to rising cores and columns, with basement slab pours planned in late April.
Deschutes County facilities and the project contractor briefed the county commissioners on April 2, reporting the courthouse expansion in Bend has moved beyond foundation work and is beginning above-grade structure and core work.
Facilities Director Lee Randall, Capital Improvement Manager Eric Nielsen and Pence Construction Senior PM Corey Loomis updated the board on completed and upcoming construction milestones. They showed photos and webcam views of recently poured stair cores, elevator formwork, perimeter spread footings and initial columns rising from the basement. Underground plumbing and electrical conduit work is in progress, they said.
Project schedule and budget: Pence reported stair and elevator cores advancing, basement slab pours planned for late April and progressive work on level-1 decks and exterior sheathing through summer and fall. Eric Nielsen told the board that, under Oregon law, the contractor has an option to substitute a surety bond for retention; Pence is working to place a bond and then release roughly $620,000 in retained contract funds paid through February.
Budget details: Staff reported recent pay applications and direct design and inspection costs. The county also clarified that a state remodel contribution received early in the project had previously been shown in reserves and is now listed explicitly in the funding table; bond proceeds were updated to net amounts after issuance costs.
Operations and maintenance: Commissioners asked about long-term maintenance access to underslab plumbing and electrical. Facilities staff said the project includes as-built 3-D modeling, photo capture and monthly walkthroughs with maintenance staff so facilities personnel will have detailed records for future repairs; historically, slab cutting for underground repairs has been rare in the county’s buildings.
Why it matters: The courthouse expansion is a major county capital project with multi-year cost and schedule implications. The board asked staff to continue monthly updates and flagged the change from retention to a surety bond as an upcoming budgetary change.
What’s next: Commissioners said they expect continued monthly updates; staff said they would present the revised project budget and the retention/bond change in a subsequent budget update.
