County signs architect agreement, formally adopts CMAR approach for proposed indoor ice arena study

Williams County commissioners on Jan. 7 authorized the county to contract with Icon Architects to advance preliminary design work for a proposed indoor year-round ice facility and made the statutory determinations required to preserve the option of delivering the project under the construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) public improvement method.

County Administrator Helen (last name not specified in the record) described work to date: site-selection and master-plan coordination with the Williston Park District and community stakeholders, a need for schematic design to support fundraising, and the desirability of building under the CMAR method for large public construction projects. County legal staff read the three determinations required by state law for using CMAR: (1) that using CMAR is in the public interest for the ice arena, (2) that CMAR planning/design-phase services will not duplicate normal architect/engineer services, and (3) that CMAR construction services will be additional to and not duplicate architect/engineer contract services.

Commissioners voted to accept those statutory determinations and separately approved a motion authorizing the chairman to sign the contract with Icon Architects. Both votes passed by roll call (unanimous). County staff said the county previously set aside seed funding to support preparatory work and that those funds would be reimbursed from future sales-tax revenues tied to a sales-tax extension approved by voters; staff emphasized that any future construction would depend on project fundraising, site selection and the long-term sales-tax revenue schedule.

At the same meeting the commission also authorized the chairman to sign a pending federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant contract when it arrives and approved authorization to fill one open corrections officer position. In the SS4A item county staff said the county had completed interviews and selected a consultant (listed in the record as Ackerman S fold) and requested authority for the chairman to sign the contract when the federal document is returned.

Commissioners said they expect further updates as site-selection work and fundraising proceed; if the project advances to construction the CMAR delivery method will be used per the determinations recorded at this meeting.