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General Services Building near completion; justice center design to return to town design review June 11
Summary
County project managers told commissioners on June 2 that the General Services Building is on track for June turnover with modest contingency remaining and that the Justice Center design will return to the town's Design Review Committee June 11 after revisions addressing scale and facade concerns.
Berning Project Management and the county’s owner’s‑representation team briefed commissioners on June 2 on progress for the General Services Building (GSB) and the Justice Center.
General Services Building Jason Berning, project manager with Berning Project Management, said finishes are wrapping up in June and the county expects turnover of the completed GSB this month. "We'll be wrapping up finishes here in the next couple weeks, in prep for final inspections. Turnover of the space is scheduled for June," Berning said.
He reported owner contingency and construction contingency remaining: about $23,000 in owner contingency and roughly $16,000 left in construction contingency. The project is under a guaranteed maximum price contract, Berning said, and any savings at closeout would return to the county for potential future projects such as a new roof. Berning also described final closeout tasks — punch list, as‑built drawings, warranties and final billing — that can take up to 60 days.
Justice Center Tom Ference, the county’s owner's representative for the Justice Center, said the team did not win design review on the first pass and is making adjustments to respond to the town’s Design Review Committee (DRC). The design team plans to return to the DRC on June 11, proceed to planning and zoning on June 18 and then, tentatively, to town council on July 22 if the sketch plan gains approval. Ference said the next major milestone is a design‑development set due in late July that will be forwarded to G Johnson DPR for a construction estimate.
Schedule and risks Commissioners asked which milestones posed the most schedule risk. Ference and Berning identified the temporary modular buildings (permits and approvals) and the entitlement process as the elements with the tightest turnaround. They said the target start for demolition is mid‑February and that the construction duration for the new Justice Center is about 25–26 months, which would put move‑in in spring 2029 if the schedule holds.
Commissioners asked about the specific concerns raised by the DRC; Ference said the committee’s primary feedback focused on the building’s perceived massing, the three‑story scale and façade treatment on eastern and northern elevations, and the need to improve the design character and relieve massing with stepped parapets and canopy adjustments.
No formal county action was required during the update; county staff will continue coordinating design revisions, planning applications and permit timelines.
Ending: Project managers emphasized that the GSB closeout is imminent and that Justice Center design revisions aim to address DRC comments before the June 11 meeting.
