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Architect says HBC reviewer raised 'unprecedented' comments; abatement set for early May
Summary
Butler County project team received HBC submittal comments the architect called 'unprecedented' and plans detailed responses; asbestos abatement for the site is expected in early May, and bid and contracting steps mean a groundbreaking likely in mid-June at the earliest.
The Butler County project team reported Friday that it has received submittal-review comments from the HBC and is preparing detailed responses after the architect described many of the comments as inapplicable to the project.
The architect said the review comments arrived at the end of last week and that the team will respond to each comment in detail; if that does not resolve the issues, the architect said the team will escalate the matter to the reviewer’s superior. "Her comments were unprecedented in their... most of which don't have any basis in reality," the architect said, describing a first comment that requested shop drawings the team does not have.
A presenter speaking for Alliance said the consultant Tim met on site with an abatement specialist and that the abatement contractor the team has approved is expected to schedule asbestos abatement "sometime early May." The presenter said once the HBC review and Jeff's HBC review are complete and there are no outstanding comments, Alliance will finish front-end work and advertise the project.
Board members and staff discussed how the procurement and contracting schedule could affect a ceremonial groundbreaking. Staff described a typical procurement timeline that includes a 30-day public bid period, a short vetting period for low bidders, and roughly 30 days to finalize a contract with a construction manager. Because the construction manager carries performance risk, the manager may propose subcontractors other than the lowest bidder if the low bidder is judged unable to perform; liquidated-damage provisions would apply if the contractor is late, staff said.
Members debated whether to set a tentative "shovel-ready" date in advance of a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) or to wait until the GMP confirms the project is within budget. One member said the board can set a placeholder date and prepare invitations and programs while awaiting budget numbers; another cautioned that the board may wish to confirm the GMP first to avoid scheduling a ceremony prematurely. Staff estimated that, assuming approvals and bidding proceed without substantive delay, a groundbreaking would likely occur in mid-June or later.
The architect also noted that scope work requested to address an adjoining neighbor's concerns — specifically a new wall adjacent to the neighbor’s property — will be included in the project and rolled into the contract rather than treated as a separate change order.
Next steps: the project team will submit responses to the HBC reviewer, schedule asbestos abatement in coordination with the abatement contractor and the court, and proceed to advertise once the front-end review is complete.
