City details Q1 spending and land purchases for courthouse relocation; contracts signed, closing targeted in June

City staff provided a quarterly update on pre‑site work and finances for the courthouse relocation and said contracts for road purchases have been signed and are scheduled to close in mid‑June.

Staff said the Q1 report covered surveying, engineering, environmental engineering and legal work performed through March 31. The staff member noted council had previously approved approximately $90,000 for final engineering and $21,000 for surveying, and that council also approved up to $215,000 for purchase of roads related to the project.

“I've recently have signed contracts from the Merrill and Adams, individuals, to move forward,” the staff member said, and added that the purchase-and-sale agreements were set with a target closing date of June 13. Staff said the state now has pieces needed to close the Wardwell land swap related to the project.

Staff provided an initial planning cost estimate tied to prior engineering work and said a full update with refined cost estimates will follow once final road layouts and meet-and-bounds are complete. An earlier engineering estimate tied to the original design was cited as up to $1,500,000 for the road work if completed in full; staff said some construction elements would be reduced under the current plan, which shifts work to the Merrill Lane extension.

Staff said DEP submissions are being prepared and that construction mobilization is expected late fall or early winter, with the state's courthouse groundbreaking targeted for roughly February of the following year. No new council vote was recorded in this meeting; staff said they will issue a fuller Q2 spending and mobilization update after closings and final designs are confirmed.