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Deschutes County courthouse expansion reaches third‑floor milestone; project remains on budget
Summary
County staff and contractors updated the Board of Commissioners on construction progress, remaining schedule and the project budget; the county and courts praised the project as an investment in local justice infrastructure.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners heard an update Monday on the county courthouse expansion, including construction progress, an updated schedule and the project budget.
County facilities staff and the general contractor told the board the project has reached the third‑floor concrete deck and that exterior framing and reroofing of the 2004 expansion area have begun. Eric Nielsen, capital improvement manager for the facilities department, described how current work focuses on the roof deck and interior framing with a planned pour of the roof deck on Aug. 7 and continued exterior work into late summer and early fall.
"We are currently, actual spend to date, roughly about 45% overall spend to date, with the remaining balance of just over $26,000,000 to finish," Nielsen said, noting the project includes owner and general‑contractor contingencies. He told the commissioners the project has a GC contingency of a little over 6% and an owner contingency just under 5% based on the balance to finish.
Presiding Judge Ashby, invited to the meeting, thanked the board for its financial support and said the new space will help the judicial system’s operations. "I think you've made an incredibly wise investment in this community by, supporting this project," Ashby said, and noted new chambers and courtroom capacity planned for the added floor.
Contractor representatives and county staff reviewed recent photos from the project webcam showing formwork, rebar and deck pours. Staff said shoring will be removed through August as the structure is made weather‑tight and interior work advances. They emphasized measures being taken to coordinate mechanical hangers, HVAC routing and future courtroom fit‑outs.
Why it matters: County staff said the building work is advancing on schedule and within current budget contingencies, and the additional court and chamber space is intended to address caseload and facility needs identified by the circuit court.
The county will return to the board with routine monthly budget and schedule updates; staff said they expect to continue monitoring materials costs, tariffs and contractor schedules as the project moves toward enclosure and interior finishes.
