Justice building near occupancy; final costs, punch list and warranty work remain

David Mendez, project manager with Turner and Townsend Geary, told the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners the county’s new justice building has a temporary certificate of occupancy and crews are finishing court floors as furniture installation continues.

Mendez said the project’s guaranteed maximum price was $30,440,000 and current reported costs sit at about $29,800,000, with roughly $624,000 remaining in two contingency items. He said his team expects final contractor numbers to be within a few thousand dollars of the current tally once outstanding bills are posted. Mendez also reported a remaining escalation allowance of about $260,000 and that the $1,027,000 owner contingency has not been touched.

The county’s interim occupant status allows moving in while the city completes its final punch-list checks, Mendez said. He reported lower-than-expected inflation effects on soft costs and underruns on furniture procurement, crediting Building and Grounds Director Jeff Fuller for the purchasing work.

Mendez said his contract with the county is wrapping up, with about $30,000 remaining in his professional balance and roughly two to three weeks of work left to close out invoices and prepare a final accounting. He said he and county staff member Brandy will complete the final reconciliation and that Jeff Fuller indicated county staff can handle remaining punch-list and warranty follow-up if needed. Mendez added he could be available on an hourly basis for a one-year warranty walkthrough if the county requests it.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about ongoing availability for warranty work and praised Fuller’s handling of tariffs and procurement challenges during the build.

No formal vote was taken on the building update. The discussion closed with the commission moving on to subsequent agenda items.