Oversight board hears construction, budget updates for Oklahoma County jail and behavioral care center; board accepts resignation

On June 16, 2026, the Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board heard progress and budget updates on the new Oklahoma County Adult Detention Center and the Behavioral Care Center and voted to accept the resignation of board member Steve Cooper.

William White, the county's owners' representative, told the board that work on the Behavioral Care Center has “picked up” and that the project is tracking toward substantial completion before the end of the year. “The schedule is, substantial completion is the middle of December,” White said. He added that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds supporting the Behavioral Care Center are expected to be spent out before year end and that only a few major procurements — notably cabling and low‑voltage/security systems — remain.

Gianni Romero, project manager for Flintco, gave a construction update for the Behavioral Care Center, saying most overhead systems are complete and interior prep work (taping, mudding and framing) is under way; exterior terracotta finishes are expected in about one to two months. “Most of our overhead systems are complete,” Romero said. Jeff Lowe, senior project manager for Flintco, said crews have begun earthwork, building pads and utilities on the detention center site and have started drilling piers and foundations, with structural work expected to continue through mid‑next year.

Stacy (no last name provided) reported financial figures for the bond program, saying voters approved $250,000,000 in bonds for the project and that roughly $14,000,000 remained unused in the account after signing the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract. “The total we had of bonds from the vote of the people was 250,000,000,” Stacy said. She added that bids came in favorably and that the GMP contains a contingency, while acknowledging that large contracts (the GMP was described as about $200,000,000) typically require later amendments.

Board members pressed county staff and Flintco for clearer updates about large change orders and responsibilities for unforeseen site conditions. Sandino Thompson, a board member, asked for more transparency on how negotiations were progressing with prior landowners and contractors over undisclosed or unforeseen conditions. White said contaminated soils found during early work have been remediated and that the district attorney and county are pursuing avenues to recoup associated costs; he described ongoing negotiations with the previous owner, the architect and the contractor over liability and potential recoveries.

Board members requested that notes from the weekly Tuesday coordination meetings be distributed to the oversight board so members can track ongoing negotiations and large change orders. The board also discussed holding a site visit; Flintco offered use of an on‑site meeting room but staff cautioned that any meeting at the site would need to be posted as a public meeting or be structured to avoid creating a quorum outside the posted location.

The board also handled housekeeping: a member moved to accept the resignation letter from Steve Cooper; the board voted in favor with no opposition. The meeting closed after a short round of board comments and a motion to adjourn.

What happens next: staff agreed to look into distributing the Tuesday meeting minutes to the oversight board and to work with Flintco and project consultants on logistics if the board decides to schedule a posted site visit. No formal change‑order approvals were recorded during the meeting.