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Columbus council directs staff to seek design bids and a construction manager for proposed public safety building
Summary
The Columbus Common Council voted Aug. 6 to solicit two design proposals and pursue a construction-manager-at-risk procurement after a Bray Architects feasibility study recommended a roughly 61,000-square-foot public safety facility. Councilors asked staff for an accelerated schedule and to return proposals at the first September meeting.
The Columbus Common Council on Aug. 6 directed staff to solicit two design proposals and to pursue a construction-manager-at-risk approach for a proposed public safety building after a presentation from Bray Architects.
Matt Holford of Bray Architects told the council the team used a roughly 61,000-square-foot program as a test fit to explore possible sites and recommended a site just north of the hospital, northeast of the intersection at 151. "Somewhere in the neighborhood of 61,000 square feet," Holford said when asked about the conceptual space program.
Why it matters: Councilors said the project will be a major capital investment with likely tax implications and long lead times; they sought both a realistic conservative schedule and a faster, aggressive option for consideration. Holford presented a conservative timeline that would use the remainder of 2025 to refine site selection and hire consultants, begin final design in 2026, bid in fall 2026, and start construction in 2027 for completion in 2028, while saying council could accelerate the schedule if it prioritizes the work.
Bray sketched four delivery options for the council: design–build; construction manager at risk; construction manager as agent; and single-source design–build. Bray and staff recommended the construction-manager-at-risk model so the city retains separate architect and construction roles while adding a preconstruction partner to help refine cost estimates and manage bidding. Holford said that model gives the city "an extra set of eyes to scrutinize the space, the cost, the quality of materials, [and] the bidding process."
Council members pressed staff and Holford for a shorter timeline. One councilor urged acceleration, saying, "If we don't, we're probably gonna end up without a public safety building." Holford said a refined cost range depends on final site selection but offered to finalize the report with conceptual plans and a cost range; he also estimated that the next schematic-design step would cost "$100,000 or more." Councilors discussed appointing an internal project group to work with consultants and the need to designate a day-to-day project manager or hire outside project management.
Council direction and next steps: The council asked staff to return two design proposals (Bray and a second firm, named in the meeting as Acxiom) for the first council meeting in September and to present a nonconservative, accelerated schedule within about a week. Staff also proposed forming an internal committee including the council president, police and fire chiefs, the interim finance director and staff to shepherd the project and tour comparable recent facilities.
What remains unresolved: The council did not adopt a final site plan, a budget or contract; members debated whether to award work directly to Bray or to pursue a competitive comparison. Holford said the feasibility work is roughly 95–99% complete for Bray's scope but that additional design and value-engineering steps would be required to produce firm cost estimates.
The council will review returned proposals at the first September meeting and decide whether to hire design services and to initiate a construction-manager selection process.
