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Council hears delays in elevator addition; staff proposes design-build path with oversight conditions
Summary
City staff told the council that permit drawings for the elevator addition were not found in county records and proposed moving to a design-build approach with Kornick Construction and an architect selection process. Council members warned that design-build can reduce independent oversight and asked staff to present 2–3 architect options and cost estimates at the April work session.
City Manager Wood told the Glenarden City Council on March 16 that drawings and permit submissions for the elevator addition project, originally believed submitted in October, do not appear in the county permitting database and that the city has received no county explanation for the missing materials.
Wood proposed transitioning the project to a design-build model with Kornick Construction, which would allow a single architect to review existing CAD drawings, re-stamp them if acceptable, and lead the county permitting effort to expedite construction once permits are issued. Wood said the approach could increase accountability through a single point of contact but cautioned it "would come with some additional cost" that has not yet been quantified.
Council members expressed concerns about combining design and construction under one vendor without independent oversight. Councilman Herring warned that "we'll be getting a whole lot of change orders" if the vendor both designs and builds, and urged retaining an independent reviewer or project manager to protect the city's interests. Councilwoman Jones asked staff to produce a shortlist of architects (including any Kornick in-house architect) and estimate pricing; she requested that information for the April work session.
Wood confirmed the city has in-house copies of previous CAD drawings and can share those with prospective architects to reduce scope and cost. He offered to pursue parallel paths: asking Kornick for proposed architects to interview while also drafting a public RFP if the council preferred. The council agreed that staff should return with recommended next steps and cost estimates by the early April meeting.
