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Smith County courthouse project: architects and contractor report parking garage under budget; courthouse construction underway
Summary
Architects and construction manager updated the court on the voter-approved $179 million courthouse and plaza project, reported the parking garage came in under budget (final cost $13,821,987), described safety-driven design choices and a construction-manager-at-risk delivery with a guaranteed maximum price, and outlined a phased schedule targeting spring 2027 completion for all phases.
Brandy Ziegler of Fitzpatrick Architects and Steven Flournoy of Hoare Construction gave an in-depth construction update to the Smith County commission’s court on Jan. 21, describing design choices, delivery strategy and current field progress on the voter-approved courthouse and associated parking garage.
Scope and design: Ziegler said the project will produce a roughly 268,000-square-foot courthouse with separate circulation zones for public, in-custody and staff circulation; secure attorney-conference space; jury assembly seating expandable to 300; and room for future growth (current plans include eight courts with space for additional courts). "We wanted a safe building design, meaningful and efficient access to justice," Ziegler said.
Budget and delivery: The project was put to voters and approved at a $179 million total project cap. Ziegler and Flournoy described a construction-manager-at-risk delivery; Hoare provided preconstruction services and is managing procurement and long-lead purchases. Flournoy explained that the parking garage (phase 1) came in under the originally approved guaranteed maximum price of $14,057,271, producing a final cost of $13,821,987; the court approved a reconciliation change order and final payment at the Jan. 21 meeting.
Schedule and site work: Flournoy said foundation and excavation work is underway: roughly 40,000 cubic yards of earth have been excavated; crews installed more than 500 rammed aggregate piers; and project teams poured large footings and a main elevator-shaft foundation. He described work sequencing that included an early site package to accelerate schedule and avoid escalation. "Time is our greatest adversary," Ziegler said, noting that early procurement of equipment and an early-site package helped control costs.
Local contracting and risk-management steps: Flournoy emphasized local contracting (he said about 56% of contracts went to Smith County or East Texas trade partners) and described geotechnical and dewatering measures on the Spring Street site. The team also worked with consultants (Gensler, HDR) on security staging and peer reviews. The project includes provisions to meet Texas regulatory compliance (jail commission, Texas Historical Commission, accessibility laws) and a third-party construction economist (Vermillion) performed cost reconciliations at key milestones.
Why it matters: Court members said the project addresses security and space constraints in the existing courthouse and will affect downtown traffic and redevelopment. The parking garage milestone — topping off and final acceptance at a cost under the original GMP — was presented as the first major success milestone for the overall program.
What’s next: The team said phases of the courthouse are planned for substantial completion in stages through spring 2027; the court approved the parking-garage final payment and directed staff to finalize closeout documents. No further votes were required for design changes at the hearing.
