County officials hope to interview two construction firms to lead them through a bond issue to expand and remodel the courtroom.
Commissioners on Tuesday opened bids for proposals from two firms interested in serving as construction manager for the project. A committee will interview the firms, likely in early December, and select one to lead the effort.
Universal Construction of Kansas City, Mo., and Crossland Construction of Columbus are the two bidders.
The hope is to build an addition to the courthouse and remodel the existing court offices. The cost of the project isn’t yet known, but preliminary estimates indicate it could exceed $5 million.
Taxpayers would need to approve a bond issue for such a large project. Commissioners are targeting an election in November 2023, but that timeframe could change.
District Judge Daniel Creitz leads the effort, arguing it is a safety issue and “a need, not a want.” If the county doesn’t address the issue now, he fears an incident could happen in the future that will force their hand.
The existing courtroom and associated offices are congested, and prisoners must be led through the office space from the jail to the courtroom for hearings. Deputies must wait with inmates in the hallway or courtroom, and multiple inmates may be shackled together.
The safety issues became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, as social distancing requirements exposed more of the security concerns and lack of space.
An architect submitted design plans in April that would add a second courtroom identical to the existing one, with space between them for two holding rooms and attorney-client consultation rooms.
An underground tunnel would be built to connect the jail to the courtrooms.
Offices for staff and judges would be reconfigured and remodeled.
Commissioners sought proposals for a “construction manager at risk” to serve as the general manager for such a project. Typically, a construction manager will work with government entities from the beginning, guiding them through the bond vote, sending the project out for bids, hiring subcontractors and overseeing the construction.
Such management systems are becoming more common, County Counselor Bob Johnson told commissioners. 
USD 257 hired Coonrod & Associates of Wichita as construction manager to oversee its bond project that successfully built a new elementary school and new science center; Coonrod is now working on a school project in the Humboldt district.
Johnson asked Coonrod to submit a proposal for the courtroom but the company was too busy with existing projects. Another construction firm in Humboldt did not meet the bonded insurance requirements.
A committee including Johnson, Creitz, County Clerk Shannon Patterson and Commissioner David Lee will interview the two finalists in early December. The interview process will answer several questions, such as the fee structures for the bidding firms and how they would work with the county through the bond vote and beyond.
