by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Starting over on the new Duval County Courthouse, as some on the City Council advocate, will cost the City about $30 million and delay the start of construction by more than a year on a project that is already behind schedule and over budget, the City’s chief operating officer told the Council Monday.
The City has spent $50 million and two years on the project already without laying a single brick. During that time, the project’s budget has climbed by about $60 million to $268 million, prompting calls from several Council members that the City start the project over from near scratch. Proponents say stopping work while the City seeks new bids from firms to design and build the building would bring the budget back to $232 million. The mayor’s office says a satisfactory building cannot be built for that amount and says further delays will only push the budget higher.
In a letter delivered Monday to Council vice president Kevin Hyde, City Chief Operating Officer Dan Kleman said suspending construction would be “an extraordinary event,” that would likely result in lawsuits against the City. Further delays would really amount to the project’s termination, said Kleman.
Construction on a new design probably couldn’t start for a year and a half after the City started taking bids, he said. City purchasing codes require a minimum of 169 days to take competitive design-build bids. Once an initial design was selected, it would take another 12 months to go from the drawing board to the construction site as all departmental users tweaked the design to fit their specific needs.
During that down time, construction costs would likely climb, said Kleman. The mayor’s office blames the current cost overruns in part on the rising cost of raw materials, particularly steel.
“Stopping the project and starting over will likely require more than a years’ worth of further procurement and design, as well as extensive meetings with user groups. During that time, it is projected that costs will continue to escalate,” said Kleman.
Moving to a design/build competition would also cost the City $27 million spent on the current design, he said. The contract with construction manager Cannon would allow the firm, in the event of a delay, to sever from the City and take its design.
Even if the project were to start over, Kleman said it’s doubtful that a satisfactory courthouse could be built for $232 million. The City Council agreed to raise the budget to that number a year ago after Mayor John Peyton pledged not to let it move higher. Peyton has said that he has since been convinced that a $232 million building would soon require costly additions to keep up with Duval County’s growth.
The mayor’s office says Cannon will provide by the end of October a guaranteed maximum price for the current plans at $268 million or less. Kleman stopped short of guaranteeing that price, but said he “personally believes,” the City could keep that budget.
Kleman and the mayor have rejected a $232 million design that they previously considered. Both have said the building would require about $50 million in additions within eight years. They say that would take the total project budget to $281 million.
Kleman’s letter arrived on the eve of the first meeting of a special Council committee put together to settle the nagging courthouse question. The dispute has stressed the relationship between Peyton’s staff and some Council members.
Last week, several Council members expressed frustration with a courthouse workshop led by Kleman and Peyton’s policy chief, Steve Diebenow. On the same day that Kleman’s letter arrived, he received a public records request from Council member Lake Ray, one of the supporters of the design/build option with Glorious Johnson and Jerry Holland.
Ray made an official request because he said the mayor’s staff had not previously answered questions quickly enough. He demanded answers to his questions “within 24 hours,” and threatened to hold a press conference otherwise.