Commission authorizes manager to finalize contract for Holy Cross medical office building project

The Taos County Commission on Oct. 7 granted the county manager authority to sign the final negotiated construction contract with Bradbury Stamm Construction Inc. for the Holy Cross Medical Office Building project.

County staff described the project as a new 19,936-square-foot medical office building with sitework, grading, parking, landscaping and sidewalks. The building will include a single-tenant suite to accommodate outpatient primary, cardiac, surgical and urgent-care clinics, staff said.

Brent Jaramillo, the county manager, told commissioners a draft contract is with Bradbury Stamm for review. He said the county has $15,000,000 in grant funding in hand and is awaiting a second $7,500,000 grant; part of the contract will be charged against the second $7.5 million when it arrives. Commissioners pressed staff on timeline and project management. Jaramillo said the hospital has hired E4E4 Architectural as a project manager; the county will pay for that position but it will provide oversight for the first phase.

Commissioner Romero said the legislature has become more meticulous about spending, and he stressed the need to move forward so that state funds are not at risk. Staff said the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) granted an extension on the funding and that the county had obtained the extension about six weeks earlier.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Romero moved and Commissioner Vigil seconded a motion to grant the county manager authority to finalize and sign the negotiated contract with Bradbury Stamm Construction Inc.; the roll call showed affirmative votes from the commissioners present and the motion carried.

County staff said additional ground testing and a separate contract for that work may appear on a special meeting agenda; staff did not present a final construction schedule at the Oct. 7 meeting.