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Commissioners approve $1.31 million payment to River City; OK changes to law-enforcement center that trim contingency
Summary
The Coffey County Board approved payment application No. 13 for the County Law Enforcement Center and signed two change orders that shift $5,748 to galvanized mezzanine work and subtract $2,712 in other design changes from the project contingency; the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) was not altered.
The Coffey County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 approved Payment Application No. 13 for River City Construction LLC — $1,310,898.36 with retainage removed — and authorized two construction change orders for the county’s Law Enforcement Center project.
The payment application covers a month of work across multiple subcontractors, including steel erection, metal wall panels, rooftop units and substantial electrical materials. County Counselor Wade Buie II presented the application and walked commissioners through subcontractor line items, stored materials and retainage calculations before seeking approval.
The board voted to authorize the chairman to sign the application. The motion was moved and seconded on the record and approved with the customary “all in favor” voice vote.
Why it matters: The payment covers a large construction milestone and draws on the project’s construction fund. Commission review focused on verifying work completed, stored materials and that retained contingency remained sufficient.
What the change orders do: Change Order No. 27 converts mezzanine steelwork from painted finish to galvanized steel, increasing the direct cost for galvanizing, materials and shipping but reducing future repaint and maintenance needs. River City’s submitted tally for the galvanized option was $7,876; a painting allowance previously budgeted would have cost about $2,400, yielding a net subtraction from contingency of $5,748. County staff recommended the change to avoid ongoing repaint cycles.
Change Order No. 28 bundled three potential change orders (PCOs) addressing: connector-corridor roof-drain revisions (PCO 47), a sink hookup in the evidence-processing room (PCO 51) and added gas regulators for kitchen and laundry equipment per an RFI (PCO 54). The combined effect is a net credit of $2,712 to the project contingency (PCO 47 credit $3,733; PCO 51 debit $5,041; PCO 54 debit $1,404). The change order package does not change the project’s guaranteed maximum price of $25,712,855.00.
County Counselor Wade Buie II and county project staff emphasized that the items in CO 28 included both contractor-initiated adjustments and items identified by the design team and subcontractors during construction. Commissioners heard cost breakdowns by subcontractor and the supporting emails and RFI responses that staff used to “show your work.”
Discussion and oversight: Commissioners and project staff discussed how allowances and change orders interact with the GMP and construction contingency. Project staff reported about 51% of Phase 1 construction contingency remained at the time of the presentation. River City and the architect (GGA/Goldberg Group) committed to minimizing GMP impacts and to routing non‑GMP labor through construction contingency where appropriate. Staff said unused contingency would revert to the county.
Outcome: The board approved the payment application and the two change orders. Commissioners recorded no change to the project GMP as part of these approvals; the net contingency change for the two approved items was a $3,036 reduction (a $5,748 reduction from CO 27 minus a $2,712 credit from CO 28).
Background: Commissioners heard a longer project update earlier in the meeting: Phase 1 (the larger law enforcement portion) is roughly five months from completion and Phase 2 (a courthouse renovation) is estimated at under $3.0 million and would require a GMP amendment when presented for approval. Project staff said final construction and occupancy are targeted for approximately December–January, depending on final inspections and occupancy review.
Next steps: Staff will process the River City pay application payment from the GL construction project fund (Fund 111) and record the approved change orders in the project ledger. Project managers said they would continue weekly coordination through OAC (owner‑architect‑contractor) meetings and present any future change orders affecting the GMP for explicit commissioner approval.
