CPM Texas presents $11 million preliminary estimate and April 2026 target for Gonzales County annex renovation

CPM Texas told Gonzales County commissioners on Dec. 16 that a preliminary budget for the Gonzales County Annex renovation is approximately $11 million, with a goal to open the renovated annex in April 2026.

The firm’s owner’s representative, John Duke, said the estimate—about $439 per square foot—is based on historical costs rather than market bids and will likely be refined. “There’s a 0% chance this is right, but we believe it is close,” Duke said, emphasizing contingencies built into the plan including roughly $1 million in owner contingencies and an estimated $381,000 contractor contingency to cover bid‑day anomalies.

Duke walked commissioners through major construction buckets: selective demolition (just over $500,000 in the current estimate), structural improvements, interior finish‑out (estimated at about $170 per square foot) and general conditions and insurance. He said the construction portion of the estimate is about $8 million of the total budget and that assumptions will be validated as the county proceeds through design and contractor engagement.

On schedule, CPM said the project is in preconstruction and design, with design work projected through mid‑April, selective demolition potentially starting in February and construction moving toward an April 2025–2026 work window — with substantial completion estimated in March 2026 and a move‑in period thereafter.

The presentation also recommended a Phase I environmental site assessment and hazardous‑materials survey to identify asbestos, lead paint or other issues before demolition. CPM recommended contracting Clean Environments for that work; the firm’s Phase I and hazardous‑materials survey was described in the presentation as costing just over $5,000. Commissioners approved contracting Clean Environments at the meeting.

Commissioners asked about site work and utilities; Duke said roughly $300,000 had been accounted for site work but that utility requirements will be refined after a survey and civil design. The court approved awarding the annex survey to Whitecap Survey Company to meet an early January schedule after rescinding a prior, slower option.

Several commissioners asked whether building a new facility might be more cost‑effective than renovating the existing annex. Duke said a new core‑and‑shell could run roughly $180–$190 per square foot in comparable projects and that renovating could save on the order of $2 million for a building of roughly 22,000–24,000 square feet, but he recommended a formal estimate. CPM agreed to prepare a new‑building cost comparison and return with that information in early January.

Next steps identified at the meeting include completing the Phase I environmental and hazardous‑materials surveys, completing the site survey, refining utilities and civil scope, conducting contractor engagement under a construction‑manager‑at‑risk approach, and having CPM return with a new‑build cost comparison.