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Commission approves design contract amendments for Public Safety Center, courthouse remodel
Summary
The Dunn County commission approved amendments to architect and construction-manager agreements to advance schematic design and procurement for a new Public Safety Center and courthouse remodel, with a project budget set near $20 million.
The Dunn County Board of Commissioners approved contract amendments with GLG Architects and JE Dunn Construction to move the Public Safety Center (PSC) and courthouse remodel into schematic design, design development and procurement phases.
Caitlin Kreider of GLG Architects and James Kramer of JE Dunn Construction presented the board with the predesign/redesign package and an updated site plan. Kreider said the new PSC site is a roughly seven-acre parcel on the south side of Manning and that moving the sheriff’s office to the PSC would free space in the courthouse for county offices and an expanded courtroom layout. Kramer and Kreider outlined a three-phase design schedule that would culminate in bidding and a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) request back to the commission in late 2025; construction was described as tentatively beginning in spring 2026 with substantial completion projected in mid-2027, subject to final bids and approvals.
The project budget discussed at the meeting was $20,000,000 with $500,000 reserved for site acquisition; staff said the budget would be treated as $19.5 million available for hard construction after acquisition. The design contract amendment defines the architecture and engineering fee structure and allocates contingency and soft-cost allowances; civil engineering fees for site infrastructure were listed as to-be-determined and will be fixed after schematic design.
Commissioners asked several technical and cost-related questions, including roof and snow management for the PSC design, the advantages of precast versus metal building systems for garage bays, and the management of potential change orders. JE Dunn described the construction-manager-at-risk approach as a way to provide cost estimating and constructability review throughout design; commissioners emphasized the need to limit unnecessary change orders and to keep contingency and escalation issues under review as bids approach.
The motion to approve the contract amendments was made by Commissioner Pelton, seconded by Commissioner Olsen, and carried on a roll-call voice vote (Commissioners Heizer, Olsen, Pelton, Kleeman and Dalesal/Dolezal recorded yes). Staff will return with civil engineering fees and the schematic-design package as the project advances.
