Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the North Campus topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff reports progress and pricing risks on North Campus construction
Summary
County staff updated commissioners on North Campus work: surcharge placement and monitoring is underway, plan review is ongoing and a building permit has not yet been issued; staff warned of possible steel and HVAC price increases tied to tariffs.
County staff provided a detailed progress report on the North Campus construction project during the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners work session on April 21.
Jennifer, who gave the project update, said the contractor has placed surcharge material on the building footprint and is monitoring compaction and settling, a process she said could take two to four months. "It's almost $200,000 worth of surcharging material," she said, adding that the contractor (Stryker) expects to reuse that material later in the site's parking areas.
The nut of the update is practical progress coupled with remaining permit steps: Jennifer said the county has a site permit but not a building permit. "The plans have been submitted for review. Upon completion of review, the city will then issue a building permit," she said. Third-party plan review is under way with the reviewer the staff identified as Shumskoda (transcript spelling varies); staff said they are on the second set of questions and have not identified major obstacles so far.
On groundwater and utilities, Jennifer said crews had installed a monitoring (perk) pipe and were down roughly 57 feet as of the last week’s check and had not encountered groundwater. She said dewatering permitting is prepared to submit if monitoring shows the need. A preconstruction meeting for underground utilities was scheduled the following day.
Commissioners pressed staff on cost risks. Jennifer cited reports from steel and HVAC subcontractors that tariffs and market conditions may drive substantial price increases; she said the project’s contingency fund exists to absorb anticipated increases and that staff will report confirmed cost changes when they are known.
The update also covered the adjacent historic courthouse project: user-group site tours were scheduled for Friday, an elevator delivery was expected the next week, and final site work (front stairs, alley tie-ins, tree removals) is underway.
Next steps: staff will continue plan-review coordination with the third-party reviewer, monitor the surcharge progress and groundwater data, and notify commissioners if tariff-driven cost increases are quantified.
