by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
On June 25, representatives from the four architectural firms selected to submit designs for the new county courthouse will provide Better Jacksonville Plan officials with their final product. In the interim, those four firms will meet with courthouse project manager Chris Boruch and other City officials to go over some last minute details.
“This week and next week we will meet with them [the architects] to go over cost estimates and budget reconciliation,” said Sam Mousa, the City’s chief administrative officer. “We are currently reviewing cost estimates.”
The four firms currently in contention to design the $211 million facility are Rink Reynolds Diamond Fischer Wilson, P.A., KBJ Architects, Inc., Cannon Florida, Inc. and Spillis Candela & Partners. Rink Reynolds and KBJ are local firms while Spillis is based out of Orlando and Cannon is headquartered in Grand Island, N.Y. with an office in Independent Square.
Mousa said Better Jacksonville officials and a group of 4th Judicial Circuit judges, who also provided architects with guidelines, have encouraged the firms to submit original yet practical designs, but also remember that this is Jacksonville.
“We had workshops that the competitors attended and what we didn’t want to do is limit the creativity of the architects,” said Mousa. “We gave them a clean slate to begin with. On the other hand, we believe they understand and anticipate our desires.”
It would be unfair to say the City is looking for a functional but conservative design for the courthouse. But based on the decision to go with the Robert A.M. Stern submission for the library — a modestly designed facility — it seems likely that all four firms will submit a final product that reflects on the conservative nature of City Hall, the new downtown library and the new U.S. Courthouse at Jacksonville, which will be finished in September.
“Based on what they saw, heard and were told at the workshops — and the fact that they have to incorporate the old federal courthouse into the design —they have enough guidelines that they understand what we are looking for,” said Mousa.
Land-wise, the City is in good shape regarding the courthouse. It will occupy approximately eight city blocks, five of which will be used for new construction (including parking), one represents the old federal courthouse and two have been set aside for future use/green space.
“All of the land is in our possession,” said Mousa. “We have not settled with all of the owners, but we own it.”
Mousa did not know exactly how much the City will spend to acquire all the necessary land, but did say that figure has been worked into the $211 million price tag. Should the land come cheaper than expected, the architects are free to incorporate that cost savings into their plans. Should the land cost more than expected, the four firms will also have to adjust their figures and designs accordingly.
On June 25, all four firms will gather at the University of North Florida to present their designs and answer questions. The competition is open to the public and will be an excellent opportunity for citizens to get a close look at each design. A final decision is expected later this summer with a ground breaking set for early next spring, just before Mayor John Delaney leaves office on June 30.
In related news, demolition work for the new downtown library will begin this month and construction should start by either late this year or early next year. By then, both the new baseball park and arena will be well underway, making downtown Jacksonville one the city’s biggest construction zones. However, because the courthouse will still be in the design phase, Mousa said it was highly unlikely that all four major projects within the $2.2 billion plan would the simultaneously under construction.
“That’s really not feasible,” said Mousa. “The ball park and the arena will be complete before the courthouse even starts. It will take 12-15 months to get the final designs for the courthouse.”