Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Justice Center Project topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Justice Center nears substantial completion; county staff set 60-day punch‑list window
Summary
Burwell Construction told Hamblen County commissioners the Justice Center has reached substantial completion on paper — with a TCO dated Oct. 30 and an architect-recommended substantial completion date of Oct. 31 — and that remaining punch-list items must be closed out in roughly 60 days before an early‑year opening.
Jaren Dolwater of Burwell Construction told the Hamblen County Justice Center Public Safety Committee that the Justice Center project is effectively at the finish line. "We are reaching the end of the project," Dolwater said, noting that a temporary certificate of occupancy was established Oct. 30 and that the architect is recommending a substantial completion date of Oct. 31.
Dolwater said there are no change orders to present at this meeting and that all walkthroughs and commissioning have passed. He described remaining work as punch‑list items across trades — civil, electrical and security — that must be addressed and signed off by the architect and the county. "There's definitely a punch list of different trades... that they have to run through and finalize within the next 60 days," he said, adding that minor change orders are in process for inspector-requested fixes but that "nothing of any substance" is expected.
Commissioners asked whether additional costs or a major change order should be expected. Dolwater said the examples he has seen so far are modest — he referenced amounts in the mid‑$10,000 range as illustrations — but that precise pricing is pending further analysis. He also confirmed crews are addressing visible fit-and-finish items noted during walkthroughs, including floor and bench repairs that must be reviewed and approved by the architect before acceptance.
On commissioning and transition, Dolwater said third‑party commissioning (TCI) will accompany the county and sheriff's office during the move‑in, with at least one representative on site for about two weeks to assist with relocation and systems turnover.
The presentation closed with a tentative timetable set by the contractor and county staff: architect signoff and completion of punch‑list work within 60 days, with an operational opening "around the first of the year" dependent on final county and sheriff logistics.
