Justice building receives temporary occupancy; move-in held until furnishings, elevator work finish

David Mendez of Turner & Townsend updated the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on June 10 that the county’s new justice building received a temporary certificate of occupancy the previous Friday and that life‑safety items are complete, but full occupation will wait until furnishings and a final ADA access tie‑in are finished.

The update matters because the temporary certificate clears the way for the county to begin a controlled move‑in once furnishings, elevator acceptance and remaining punchlist items are finished. Mendez said staff training on building systems began the day of the meeting and that the state is performing elevator acceptance work required for permanent ADA access to the lower level.

Mendez said furniture installation is actively underway and estimated the work to take about five weeks. He said contractors were loading desks and other furnishings from the street and that some final exterior window sealing and paint touch‑ups remain. From a budget perspective, Mendez said contractor and design contingencies together currently total about $600,000; after anticipated final adjustments he estimated “less than $100,000” in expected additional contingency use, leaving roughly $500,000 in contingency funds plus remaining soft‑cost savings to be finalized.

Project staff clarified sequencing for openings and moves: furniture installation will finish before departmental moves begin; the likely order would put prosecutors on the third floor first, then adult probation (AMP), then the judge’s chambers, with a public ribbon‑cutting and tours scheduled between completion of furnishings and staggered moves. Jeff (project staff) said the current tentative completion for furniture install is July 9 and that a mid‑July move‑in and open‑house are probable; he said he would send date options to commissioners.

Commissioners were told a courtyard and lower‑level corridor that will serve as the staff entrance cannot be completed until elevator inspections succeed because that route will be the new ADA access to the lower level. Punchlist work on that lower corridor is expected to continue for several weeks after elevators pass inspection.

Mendez and staff encouraged commissioners to request tours; they said they could accommodate walkthroughs while the building nears final completion. No formal vote or direction was recorded on scheduling the ribbon‑cutting.

A final budget reconciliation and contractor billings were expected after contractors submit all final costs by the Friday following the meeting; Mendez said he would report the finalized figures to the board when available.