Cowlitz County staff seek $1.21 million amendment to complete south-end façade, lobby and code upgrades

Cowlitz County public works staff on Tuesday asked the Board of County Commissioners for authority to execute a $1,205,811 contract amendment with the contractor and Department of Enterprise Services to advance building repairs that include wall bracing to current code and a lobby remodel.

The request came during the department’s facility update: Public Services Director Mike Moss told commissioners the project price rose about $90,000 from an earlier proposal and that the amendment would cover engineering, scaffolding, an envelope specialist and lobby work. "The price did go up, about $90,000 from their proposal that they made to the board," Moss said. He later told the board, "This is not a change order. It's actually an amendment because we haven't started."

County staff said the south end of the building is the oldest and most deteriorated; a consultant’s investigation found water intrusion behind stonework is causing stones to slip. Moss said the scope includes repairs first and an observation evaluation of the whole building, and that the contractor provided a revised guaranteed maximum price that incorporated additional work on the lobby and items identified during investigation.

Moss asked the board for authority to execute the amendment with DES and said staff would provide the board a copy of the executed agreement. He emphasized the county will treat the document as an amendment rather than a change order because work has not started. "You won't see any — this shouldn't prompt any change orders or any additional changes without your authority," Moss said.

Commissioners asked whether the amendment would change the project timeline; Moss said the contractor planned for the added scope in the timeline discussed with the board. County staff also told commissioners they had requested a rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate and flagged several line items for review, including consultant use, but said public-safety and immediate structural concerns were first priorities.

No formal vote or signed board resolution was recorded in the meeting transcript; Moss said he would return with paperwork and additional details for review.

Moss also noted the authority having jurisdiction for code interpretations on the project is the City of Kelso and that the contractor included a letter addressing the wall-bracing requirement for existing partition walls. Staff said the amendment increases the previously discussed package from about $1.1 million to $1.205,811.

County staff characterized the additional work as necessary to bring affected portions of the building to "today's code" and to address water intrusion causing stone failure on the south façade. Moss said staff will continue to review line items that raise cost, but that structural safety is the priority.

If the board grants the requested authority at a future meeting, staff said contract execution with DES will allow the county to proceed with ordering, scaffolding rental and other pre-construction steps.

Ending: County staff will return to the commissioners with executed documents and a fuller cost summary; no formal funding appropriation or vote was recorded in the transcript.