Guadalupe County elections office remodel inches toward May finish amid structural change
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Summary
Design and construction managers updated the Commissioners Court on progress at the county elections office project, citing an unexpected structural cross‑brace that required a minor design change and an estimated May 20 completion date.
Justin Gilmore of Level 5 Architecture gave the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court a progress update on the county elections office remodel and adjacent equipment warehouse during the March 11 meeting.
Gilmore described the site layout: the existing former USDA building is being remodeled into the new elections office, a new warehouse north of it will store equipment, and a secure, fenced staff parking area will be constructed. He said crews have mobilized and that site utilities and much of the paving work are under way.
The team found a structural cross bracing in a wall where a new door had been planned. Gilmore said engineers advised the brace could not be removed and the design team relocated the main entrance door to avoid major structural changes. He said the move reduced sidelighted windows but preserved a glass door entry and provided more wall space for voting booths.
Gilmore said interior and site work is progressing: concrete curb and gutter, sanitary sewer tie‑ins to the City of Seguin, and the metal warehouse structure are underway. He gave a construction completion target of May 20 and reported varying progress estimates during the presentation: ‘‘as of today, they are 69% of the way through with construction completion with an estimated May 20 construction completion,’’ while later slide captions cited figures in the low‑80s for some workstreams. He also said the warehouse will house storage racks for voting equipment and that the front lobby will include glass storefronts and new workstations.
Commissioners asked about temporary overhead power lines visible on the site; Gilmore said those temporary feeds will be dropped underground once final power is connected and that conduit for permanent service is already installed. Court members also discussed the relocated entry awning and crowd staging for election days, and Gilmore said an existing county generator will be repurposed to provide backup power for the facility.
The court voted separately earlier in the meeting to approve a vendor payment for the contractor handling the elections building construction (see “Votes at a glance”). The presentation did not include dollar‑amount budget details.
If the May 20 completion estimate holds, county staff said moves into the new office would occur after the May election so daily election operations are not disrupted.