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Justice Center near completion as Hamblen County negotiates contractor costs
Summary
Burwell Construction told commissioners the Justice Center is largely complete and on the move, but county officials said negotiations are ongoing over punch-list fixes and who will pay for cost overruns that drove project estimates well above early projections.
The Hamblen County Justice Center is functionally complete and moving toward occupancy, a Burwell Construction representative told the county's Justice Center Public Safety Committee on March 9.
"Building looks beautiful and I think everybody is ready to get in and start utilizing the space," said Jiren Dwater of Burwell Construction, who summarized remaining work as punch-list items including replacing doors with mismatched stains and installing equipment. He said electricians and plumbers are on site and contractors have crews on call to address outstanding items as people and equipment are moved into the building.
Commissioners pressed county staff about project cost increases and who will bear expenses for outstanding corrective work. One commissioner said the figure had risen "from 75 million to 106" and asked whether taxpayers would be responsible. County leadership replied the $75 million number had been an early estimate from architects and that the first formal bid received was $88 million; officials said rising costs followed COVID and related market changes and that negotiations with the architect and contractors are ongoing to resolve responsibility for specific items such as louvers and garage doors.
Dwater described the construction status as "near complete" and said the remaining issues are being handled as punch-list items this week and next. Commissioners asked for a written report on the negotiations; staff said there were no final updates but that bargaining is "heavy" and expected to yield resolutions soon.
Why it matters: The Justice Center has been a multi-year, high-cost capital project. Questions about how cost increases are allocated affect the county budget and potential future capital planning. Commissioners asked for clearer accounting of which change orders are being handled through the architect or contractor negotiations rather than the general taxpayer-funded budget.
The committee did not take a formal vote on project cost responsibility at the March 9 meeting; staff said they will return with further details as negotiations conclude.
