Cost estimates show Riverside Hospital retrofit for Regional Forensic Science Center would far exceed current CIP; commission keeps current campus option

County staff presented preliminary cost estimates for converting Riverside Hospital into a Regional Forensic Science Center (RFSC) and discussed tradeoffs with keeping the RFSC on its existing campus.

Staff cautioned the cost figures are estimates and do not include a test fit (a detailed layout study) to confirm how RFSC space would be arranged in the Riverside building. Staff said Schaeffer, Johnson, Cox & Frey — the firm that prepared a 2021 building assessment and is working on the county’s CIP — provided the estimates.

The line items staff reported included: a $5 million building purchase price; roughly $4 million for exterior work (windows, building envelope); about $19 million to modernize mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems across the facility (an allowance at roughly $110 per square foot for the entire building); $14 million for a targeted 57,000-square-foot RFSC interior build-out at an approximate $250 per square foot; approximately $21 million to fit out the remaining county office space (roughly 118,000 square feet at ~$180/sf); and a $4 million allowance for environmental remediation (mold/asbestos) and elevator modernization. Staff also added owner costs (contingency, A&E, furniture, equipment) at roughly 25 percent of construction to arrive at a total estimated cost “just over $84 million.”

Staff contrasted that figure with the current RFSC capital-improvement program (CIP) budget of just over $20 million for a project on the facility’s current campus. Consultants and staff noted RFSC requires specialized mechanical systems and air-quality controls that drive cost; consultants also said Riverside is an older structure with multiple additions and geometric challenges that make a test fit necessary before any firm decision.

Commissioners discussed that retrofitting Riverside would set up the building for other county uses but would also require most building systems to be modernized — work that may not be avoidable even if only RFSC moves in. Commissioners and consultants also noted the Riverside option would be mixing RFSC with other county functions, which changes cost comparisons: doing RFSC-only work on campus is more directly comparable to that CIP number.

Staff framed two tracks: (1) proceed with the RFSC CIP amendment for the current RFSC campus (project already in the CIP) and (2) keep Riverside as a “watch-list” county campus option for a possible future county campus (Comcare, health, aging, CDDO). Several commissioners expressed continued preference to pursue the RFSC upgrade on its existing campus while keeping the Riverside campus discussion active.

No formal vote occurred in the staff meeting; staff said the RFSC CIP amendment will appear on next week’s commission agenda and that changes to the recommended budget would need to be made quickly if commissioners want to alter the CIP entry before the budget book is finalized.