It’s still too early to know what may come of plans to remodel and expand the Allen County District Courtroom, but a local judge and owners of a construction company want county commissioners to think ahead.
District Judge Daniel Creitz told commissioners he expects to receive a preliminary design and potentially even a cost estimate this week from an architect hired to examine the project.
If he thinks the project is viable, he’ll ask commissioners to consider it.
But remodel of the courtroom is something that likely will be needed sooner or later, he said. The COVID-19 pandemic, especially, revealed potential dangers from having such a small facility that is easily crowded.
“It is a need, not a want,” he told commissioners.
After Creitz met with commissioners, representatives of Universal Construction of Kansas City, Kan., approached them with a proposal of their own.
Zak and Archie Smith said they knew that would be a big project for the county, and they had some advice: Hire a construction-manager-at-risk.
A construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) is essentially a general contractor who oversees all aspects of a project, including the hiring of subcontractors. If there was a problem with a subcontractor, the CMAR would assume the risk, rather than the county.
The project would still need to be put out for bids, and the CMAR wouldn’t have control over who won the bids.
The earlier a CMAR joins the project, the better, the Smiths said. That’s especially true in light of current supply chain issues and labor shortages.
Architects and designers don’t always know what’s happening with construction costs and timelines the way a construction manager does, the Smiths said.
By bringing a CMAR on board at the beginning of a project, it could be more efficient by heading off logistical challenges during the design process, they said.
Even if the county chooses to hire a CMAR, they would need to go through an interview and vetting process. There is no guarantee Universal Construction would be hired, but the Smiths said they hope commissioners would explore the option.
Commissioners had several questions and did not seem familiar with the process, but the county has used a CMAR for other projects, including the building of the Allen County Regional Hospital, which opened in 2013 under a different board of commissioners.
USD 257 hired a CMAR, Coonrod & Associates of Wichita, for its bond issue that built a new science center at the high school, new HVAC at the middle school and the ongoing construction of a new elementary school.
