Commissioners approve interim GMP package and combine guaranteed maximum price for downtown judicial center remodel

McLennan County commissioners on Tuesday approved interim Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) package No. 3 for the downtown jail and judicial center remodel and voted to combine interim packages into a single guaranteed maximum price for the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) contract.

The court approved interim GMP proposal package No. 3 and an addendum, then voted to combine the three interim packages into a single GMP the construction manager reported as $57,428,446. Commissioners also approved related pay applications and professional invoices associated with the project.

Construction representatives gave a progress update to the court, noting removal of exterior brick veneer, foundation drilling and fill underway for a new lobby expansion, new masonry and window reconfigurations, elevator shaft and shaft-wall work, and ongoing steel erection for the building’s interior trusses. Project staff described challenges discovered on-site, including a large steel natural gas main in the alley that Atmos Energy plans to reroute (Atmos will fund the relocation) and a previously unknown set of services tying into an existing sanitary sewer main in the alley. Staff said they will pothole and camera lines to verify whether older services are active and extend the county sanitary sewer tie-in to pick up the annex building as needed.

County staff and the CMAR noted the interim GMP approach allowed critical subcontractor commitments and early work to proceed while later design packages were completed. The third interim package described final subcontract buyouts for the balance of the work and included interior finishes, doors and hardware, flooring, audio-visual systems, security and access control, fire protection systems, landscaping, and site furnishings. The CMAR reported the third interim package value as approximately $13.0 million; combining that package with the prior two yields the reported total GMP.

The court also approved specific project pay applications: partial payment No. 8 to the CMAR for $1,331,278 and a consultant invoice for $26,935 for construction-administration services, both recommended by project staff. Commissioners voted on each item by voice and recorded the motions as carried.

Background: the project remodels the historic downtown courthouse/jail for new courtroom and judicial center functions. County staff previously approved two interim GMPs earlier in the construction sequence; the court completed the contracting step Tuesday by accepting the third interim package and adopting the combined GMP reported by the CMAR. Project managers will continue resolving utility relocations and sanitary sewer tie-ins as construction proceeds.