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Facilities committee prioritizes ARPA spending for jail, Bennett work and courthouse design; several bids and change orders approved
Summary
The committee recommended directing roughly $3 million in remaining ARPA funds toward top-priority facilities work — finishing Pope jail work, completing Bennett Building projects, starting courthouse design — and approved multiple bids and change orders including a Pope jail roof bid and Bennett change orders.
Champaign County's facilities committee on Tuesday recommended prioritizing roughly $3 million in remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for capital projects and approved several procurement actions to move those projects forward.
Committee members said their first priorities are finishing the Pope jail construction, completing outstanding work at the Bennett Building and moving forward with courthouse design. Facilities staff reported there is about $3,000,000 currently available in the ARPA facilities bucket and about $1,900,000 left to spend on the ongoing Pope jail project.
The committee approved sending the Pope jail roof replacement and related bracket repair out for bid after hearing that the roof and precast panels have deterioration that needs correction. A motion to advertise the roof work for bid passed on a voice vote (motion by Ben; second by Beth). Facilities staff said the roof estimate used for planning is about $1,400,000 but cautioned that final bids could be higher or lower.
Committee members debated how to spend ARPA funds that must be committed by the end of 2026. Board member Stephanie recommended a set of near-term priorities: "I would do 1 through 5 and then skip anything with the courthouse until we have a better landscape," she said, urging that the jail project be completed first and that funding decisions reflect what can be executed before the ARPA deadline. Several members also urged that the ARPA savings from the jail remain in the facilities capital bucket.
On specific procurement items the committee approved during the meeting: - Approval to send the Pope jail roof replacement and bracket repair out for bid (motion passed). The roof item is tied to existing foundation and precast-panel repairs arising during the jail project. - Approval of a broker RFP and appointment process to market the Brookins Building (motion passed). - Approval of Bennett Building change orders COR 87 and COR 88 to repair deteriorated concrete planks in the Bennett parking deck and to add tenant doorways on the third floor (motions passed). The parking‑deck repair work includes three planks with concrete loss and drain-body repairs; the change order amount was discussed in the meeting packet as roughly $62,166. - Approval of a County Plaza elevator renovation change order to add data, power and door access work in areas repurposed after tenant reconfiguration (motion passed).
Facilities staff repeated that many cost figures are preliminary and that final budgeting will depend on engineering, bids and the county's overall bond and capital plan. Committee members stressed the need for flexibility; one member suggested identifying lower‑priority projects that could be advanced quickly if higher‑priority work runs into schedule or procurement delays before the ARPA spending deadline.
No board-level appropriation for new bonds or construction was approved at the meeting. The committee voted to send its recommendations to the full county board for final consideration.
