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Operations committee reviews courthouse schematic design, parking garage options and approves several contracts including $1.17M Mega Boat Landing renovation

Berkeley County Council (standing committees) · February 10, 2026

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Summary

Deputy County Supervisor Powell updated the Operations Committee on the Administration & Judicial Center schematic design; council debated precast vs. cast‑in‑place parking garage options (estimates $14.3M–$17M) and asked for detailed cost breakdowns. The committee awarded design and construction contracts including RK&K for the Limehouse trail, five firms for on‑call traffic engineering, B3 Construction for a $1,168,686.79 Mega Boat Landing pavilion renovation (ratified by special council), and approved up to $200,000 for county parks signage.

Deputy County Supervisor Powell and project staff updated the Operations Committee on the Administration and Judicial Center project and indicated schematic design is nearing completion and coordination with utilities and stakeholders is ongoing. Powell said stakeholders are beginning site work and that vertical construction (engineering and permitting) is likely about a year out; some site preparation and demolition tasks were described as beginning sooner.

A substantial portion of the discussion centered on parking for the complex. Staff provided preliminary estimates for a four‑story parking garage with 448 spaces: a precast option estimated at about $14,300,000 and a cast‑in‑place option at about $17,000,000. Council members debated building a parking garage immediately versus using surface parking or acquiring nearby property (the “Gates” property) to meet needs. Points raised included proximity of surface parking to entrances, the distribution of handicapped and limited‑mobility spaces, lifecycle and maintenance costs (precast reported as cheaper up front but more labor‑intensive to maintain), and whether certain floors would be used primarily by DSS and records staff.

Powell provided employee estimates tied to the new facility: the entities (DSS, DHHS and records and solicitor’s office) currently number about 135 employees and may grow to around 150, with roughly 200 vehicles when other staff are included. Council asked staff to produce more detailed site-plan visuals and cost breakdowns at a future meeting; members suggested bringing fuller renderings and committee-level updates prior to broader council votes.

Separately, the committee approved several procurement actions: award of the Limehouse Branch Canal multi‑use trail design contract to RK&K (using $500,000 in hiker/biker trail funds), selection of five firms for a five‑year on‑call traffic engineering contract (Beal Engineering, Stantec Consulting Services, Kimberly Horn, RK&K, and A. Morton Thomas & Associates), and award of the Mega Boat Landing pavilion renovation contract to B3 Construction for $1,168,686.79 (the committee recommended fast-tracking completion to support an event date and the special County Council later ratified this contract). The committee also approved up to $200,000 from the county park fund balance for a unified signage design and program across county parks and boat landings.