Clovis commission approves notice of intent to award design‑build contract for Horizon Behavioral Health Center

The Clovis City Commission voted unanimously to issue a notice of intent to award the design‑build contract for the Horizon Behavioral Health Center to James Corporation and to begin contract negotiations, City Assistant Manager Claire Burrows told commissioners at the meeting.

The commission’s action authorizes staff to move from procurement toward contract execution for a proposed 12,000‑square‑foot crisis triage facility to be built just west of the existing surgical center on 20 First Street, Burrows said. The project was procured as a design‑build delivery to meet a compressed timetable.

Why it matters: The facility is intended to provide local behavioral‑health crisis triage and short‑term intervention for Clovis and nearby counties, reducing the need for longer transports outside the region, commissioners said during discussion.

Staff and project partners said the James Corporation’s proposal comes in under the project budget that staff identified during evaluation. Burrows said the team must “keep within that budget of 9,500,000.0” and that James Corporation’s proposal would come in under that amount. Community Bridges, named as the proposed operations partner, participated in the meeting and described its role as the facility operator.

The timeline presented to the commission shows construction progressing into next summer: Burrows said the earliest construction completion in the contractor’s schedule would be July or August of the following year. The city has a grant allocation of roughly $10,000,000 for the project that must be expended by June; Burrows told the commission staff may need to request a reauthorization or identify additional state funding as the project moves forward.

Commissioner discussion emphasized regional partnership: commissioners noted the project is a multijurisdictional effort involving five counties and neighboring municipalities that expect to refer clients to the center.

The contract‑award action was moved and seconded during the meeting, and commissioners voted unanimously to approve issuing the notice of intent to award. Community Bridges’ representative, Dan Hines, told the commission the organization was “honored to be a part of this process” and expressed support for the selected builder.

Next steps: Staff will complete contract negotiations with James Corporation, return with a recommended contract for formal execution, and pursue any necessary funding reauthorizations or supplemental grants as timelines require.