County reports ARPA-funded renovations moving forward; owner's rep cites elevator, jail and behavioral-health milestones

The Infrastructure Committee and the PBA Advisory Committee received progress reports on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-funded renovation projects, including courthouse elevator replacements, a behavioral-health facility slab, and finishing work on the existing jail. Owner's representative Bill gave the updates and said contractors are forecasting completion before contractual deadlines.

Why it matters: the projects affect courthouse operations, jail capacity and public-safety facilities and involve change orders and contingency spending that the committees said they will monitor.

Bill, the owner's representative, told the committees the contractual completion date for the elevator work is Dec. 1 and that "a lot of the elevators will be done prior to that." He said the project team is replacing elevator controls and will bring elevators back in service one bank at a time, and that the service elevator has been unavailable at times during construction.

On the courthouse front entry, Bill said asbestos abatement is underway and that the "current completion date is August 21" for the abatement work. On the behavioral-health building, he said crews have poured the first slab and that underground plumbing and electrical work is largely in place. On the existing jail, Bill said crews are finishing the fourth and fifth floors, that the contractual completion date is Oct. 25 and that final commissioning is anticipated in September, about a month ahead of the contract date. He added that a separate freeze-valve scope will arrive in September and is expected to take "a month to 6 weeks to install."

Committee members raised contract and logistics questions. A member asked how contractors are moving materials to the Fifth Floor while elevators are offline; Bill said the preconstruction agreement allowed material movement by stairs or hoist through exterior openings and that contractors "have a contractual obligation to understand that." A committee member asked whether the Fifth Floor work will finish on time; Bill replied: "Yes. Absolutely."

On the PBA side, the advisory committee heard that the Emergency Operations site at 30 Seventh Street has a pending interlocal/contract approval with Oklahoma City. Joe, a county project contact, said Oklahoma City returned the contract for corrections to names and clerical errors and that the county expects the city to approve it soon; he said they hope to have it completed "by the close of August." The committee was also told that a low-voltage audiovisual/AVL contract was approved and a notice to proceed issued for portions of the emergency-management scope, that sheriff's office furniture was purchased under budget, and that an oil-water separator removal and mechanical-equipment deliveries are progressing.

Committee staff noted a growing list of change orders on the PBA side. The owner's representative said the contractor drew on contingency to advance asbestos abatement and to address damaged columns and a basement slab, and that the team will present formal change orders for acknowledgement and approval once final documents are complete. Bill said he expects final documents this week and that he will review them with Stacy and "hopefully present them in 2 weeks if not before." A motion to proceed with the presented actions was moved and seconded and approved by the committee.

Discussion-only items included requests for additional information on a phased-construction approach for a new jail; staff said they are assembling answers to committee questions and will return with materials. No new budget totals were approved during these updates.

Next steps: staff will circulate final change-order documents and the Oklahoma City contract when received; the committees expect to review formal change orders and updated schedules at upcoming meetings.