Roswell hires Reeves Young as construction manager for Summit public safety headquarters; $613,627 preconstruction contract approved

The City of Roswell committee on March 11 voted to award construction-manager-at-risk services for the city’s Summit public safety headquarters to Reeves Young, approving a $613,627 preconstruction contract and a $5.7 million total project budget for remodeling the Summit property.

Mayor Curt Wilson and city staff described the purchase and adaptive reuse of the Summit office building as a cost-saving alternative to a new build. In prepared remarks presented to the committee, staff said the city purchased the Summit property at 1080 Holcomb Bridge Road in December 2024 for $8,000,000 plus about $600,000 in closing costs. The remarks compared the purchase price to an asking price of $19,500,000 and to an appraised value of $12,500,000 and said remodeling would be far less costly than a new build, which staff estimated could exceed $54,000,000 excluding land.

Jared Izzo and Brian Watson, the city’s director of public works, told the committee the construction-manager-at-risk delivery method will let the contractor work with designers during final plans and provide cost checks as designs progress. Watson said the contract being approved at committee is for preconstruction and design-phase services (the $613,627 amount) and that the total construction budget is set at $5.7 million.

Council Member Christine Hall asked about the project timeline and whether police and fire would move in together. Watson said technology and IT work is already under way, allowing some police staff to begin moving in in late April; work on the second and third floors should be complete by September 2025 to allow a larger police move-in. The first-floor construction — including kennels, locker rooms, and detention and processing areas — is expected in a final phase that staff said should be complete by the end of 2025, at which point the remainder of the fire department would move in.

The committee also discussed budget timing: staff said remodeling work will stretch bond dollars from the voter-approved public safety bond program and that the fiscal package includes a proposed $2,700,000 budget amendment tied to the project. Voters approved $52,000,000 in bonds for public safety projects in November 2022; staff said the Summit purchase and remodel are part of that bond program.

The motion to award Reeves Young and to proceed with preconstruction was made by Council Member Alan Sells and seconded by Council Member David Johnson; the committee approved the contract and related budget amendment considerations unanimously.

Staff said the item is scheduled for council consideration at the next regular meeting for final action on contracts and the budget amendment.