Kerrville staff to seek council approval for roughly $400,000 change order on public safety facility

Tony Battle, president of Burn Construction, told the Kerrville City Council at a Jan. 28 workshop that construction on the city’s new public safety facility is “well underway” and now watertight, with permanent power and partial climate control installed.

The project team outlined a pending change order of “$400,000-ish” that would revise the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) to about $3.99 million and would pay for two primary items: the Guardian Plaza (fixed landscape, foundations, lighting and power, limestone masonry facing and benches) and covered parking for 58 vehicles. Council did not vote at the workshop; staff said the formal change order will be brought to the regular council meeting for action.

Why it matters: the plaza and covered parking add site infrastructure and security features that affect the project budget, schedule and public use. City staff and Burn Construction said the items were contemplated from the project’s start and that the team now feels it is the right time in construction to incorporate them.

Battle described the site progress in the workshop: “It is now watertight…roof’s on. Windows are in. We got permanent power to the building, which is always a big, big milestone.” He said climate control is running in about a quarter of the building and limestone masonry procurement has arrived for exterior work. On the pending cost changes, Battle said, “these are anticipated changes…we now feel that we're far enough along in construction that we feel comfortable to release some of these dollars into other components.”

Guardian Plaza details: staff and Burn Construction said the work included in the change order is only items fixed to the ground or requiring foundations — concrete flatwork, architectural features, lighting, footings for benches and similar permanent elements. The contractor and staff said benches and memorial/statue procurement would be handled outside Burn Construction’s contract and that fundraising is covering those loose fixtures.

Covered parking: the proposal covers footings, steel structure and associated infrastructure for 58 covered parking stalls intended to protect city vehicles, including police cruisers. Battle said the team reviewed multiple canopy options and rejected fabric sails because vendors would not warranty against large hail; the chosen design will be a steel structure with a metal deck.

Future alternates: staff said remaining alternates from the project — including a sally port, additional covered parking and added security/lighting — could come back for council approval in April or May. The team indicated there are 13 potential additional covered stalls under consideration as a later alternate. Staff said a $600,000 owner contingency had been indicated earlier in the project to cover items like a bioretention basin and anticipated changes.

Budget and schedule: staff said the overall project remains under budget despite the proposed changes. Burn Construction said substantial completion is on schedule for the end of the second quarter; staff noted an additional move-in and equipment-setup period could take a further quarter before the facility is fully operational.

Next steps: city staff said Michael Hornes (city staff, referenced) is expected to present FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) procurement and a related contract modification at the second council meeting in February; the formal change order for the plaza and covered parking will be presented for council action at a future regular meeting.