Douglas County approves guaranteed maximum price and related contracts for new Justice Center; annexes site into Minden

Douglas County commissioners on June 19 approved a suite of contracts and land-use steps to move forward on the new Justice Center sited at 1280 Buckeye Road in Minden.

Key approvals included: - A construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) contract with Core Construction for GMP 2 totaling $47,923,417 (guaranteed maximum price). - A professional services contract with Construction Materials Engineers, Inc. (CME) for materials testing not to exceed $355,570. - A supplemental design fee with TSK Architects for $350,000 to cover additional design services completed during the project buildup. - Adoption of Ordinance 2025-16-57 to amend the Minden town boundary and annex the Justice Center parcel into the Town of Minden, a legal prerequisite because District Court must be located in the county seat.

Why it matters: The approvals move the Justice Center from design into large-scale construction. The board and project staff emphasized the project’s long planning history, the decision to divide procurement into two GMP phases to accommodate long-lead electrical switchgear items, and a strategy to pre-purchase materials where prudent to limit tariff and inflation exposure.

Details and board discussion

Project scope and delivery method

Project staff described a 50,344-square-foot building with four courtrooms, space for the district attorney and clerk functions, and a design intended to serve projected population growth without short-term overcrowding. To reduce procurement risk and handle long-lead items (switchgear), staff split work into GMP 1 and GMP 2 phases. GMP 1 (earlier work) included the site pad, utilities and other preparatory work; GMP 2 covers the main building construction.

Cost control and contract structure

- The CMAR delivery method includes allowances and contingencies. County staff and Core Construction reported a competitive subcontractor turnout and said they expect to return unused allowances to the county if not required. - Project manager Scott McCullough explained that Core’s bid and the project’s recent bids were favorably affected by a softening private market and that the project team worked to shave nonessential finishes (for example, nonpublic elevator finishes) to reduce cost.

Design supplements

TSK Architects’ supplemental fee covers unanticipated but necessary work that included preparation of separate documents for GMP 1 and GMP 2, extended schematic design work, and partial (50%) design on an option to site juvenile probation services on the same campus. McCullough said the 50% design set for the juvenile component preserves a near-term option to add those services without restarting the design process.

Legal and land-use action

Deputy District Attorney Zach Wadley explained the annexation ordinance is legally required to place District Court in the county seat; the board adopted Ordinance 2025-16-57 on second reading and carried the adoption unanimously.

Votes and next steps

All construction and design-related motions passed unanimously. County staff said ground-breaking activities would commence as early as the weeks following the meeting; Core Construction and project consultants will coordinate procurement of long-lead items and continue construction sequencing. The county will return routine status updates to the board, and unspent allowances/contingencies will be accounted for in future budget reports.

Ending note

The package of approvals marks a major project milestone: a transition from site preparation and design into full building construction and the legal incorporation of the parcel into the Town of Minden. The board scheduled a ceremonial groundbreaking for early August and directed staff to continue cost-monitoring and periodic reporting on schedule, procurement, and contingencies.