Valley County reviews renovation plan for 700 South Main 'Southern Annex'; preliminary cost estimate about $480,000

Valley County commissioners received a report Feb. 24 on plans to convert the former Amerit Title building at 700 South Main in Cascade into county office space, with consultants recommending final design and permitting in early 2025 and construction bidding to follow.

The report, presented by a consultant team and summarized by Abby, a project consultant, recommends relocating several county departments from the courthouse — initially planning and zoning, building department and the assessor’s office — to the building, which the county acquired as part of its master facility plan. "The project aims to complete the relocation in 2025 following the vacation of the building by its current occupants at the end of this month," Abby said.

County and consultant staff told commissioners the main goals are to minimize renovation costs by using existing HVAC and electrical systems where feasible, create a functional layout that accommodates current and future needs, improve ADA access where the building does not meet standards, and preserve privacy for public-facing counters. The draft layout in the commission packet shows a reception and controlled entry, secure storage, shared printing, a large public meeting room, private offices and ADA upgrades on the first floor, and a modified lower-level entry and office in the basement.

Consultants provided a preliminary cost estimate completed in late 2024: approximately $480,000 using the report's assumptions, and approximately $493,000 if the county opts to add an additional controlled entry. Abby said those figures are high-level estimates and that final pricing will come from construction bids after the design documents are finalized. Commissioners repeatedly asked for a cost breakdown; staff said they would provide the detailed estimate used to produce the summary in the packet.

Commissioners raised several points for the final design: whether partition walls shown are modular or built-in, whether modular furniture is included in the estimate, the necessary heights of desk partitions for privacy (examples discussed ranged from about 42 inches up to roughly 5 feet for some separations), and whether the planned changes would require HVAC or electrical upgrades. Kristen, an architect with Erstad, said only minimal HVAC adjustments are anticipated — one vent in the lower level and possibly one vent for a new hallway on the main floor — and that most lighting will remain in place with only a small number of new fixtures or relocated fixtures shown in the most recent plans.

Consultants described a conservative schedule in the report: one to two months to finish construction documents and permits, one to two months to solicit and select a contractor, and three to four months for construction, with regular updates to the commission. The consulting team and county staff said the schedule could be shorter depending on contractor availability and the final scope; the architect said she was aiming to have documents ready to go out for bid by about April 2 if departments return partition-height and other feedback quickly.

Commissioners pressed for speed in finishing design and putting the project out to bid, noting that interior work is more likely to find contractor availability at this time of year. County staff said they will include timeline expectations in the bid documents so bidders know the county expects prompt scheduling rather than delaying the work behind other projects.

No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting; the presentation was described as an informational update and the consultants and county staff said they would return with bid-ready documents and the requested cost detail. Commissioners asked department heads to send partition-height and related feedback by Friday to stay on the architect’s schedule.

The county plans to continue the design and move to construction bidding once final plans are approved and permits secured. Commissioners and staff said they will review the detailed cost breakdown and consider opportunities to value-engineer the project before awarding a contract.