By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
The monetary plan for the construction of a justice center for Barren County that has been generally discussed in the past remains intact with a bond issue to be financed over a 25-year period, as details on anticipated construction costs come into clearer focus.
Chip Sutherland, managing director for public finance for Baird, a financial advising company, on Wednesday told the project development board for the justice center that he and his colleagues have been working with the financing team with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts to make sure the totals are going to fit within the allowances provided.
“If we operate within those confines, I think the short answer is the plan of finance still looks solid,” he said.
With a total project cost of just under $55 million – construction costs plus other costs – they can tackle that, he said. A sizeable contingency amount has been budgeted within that as well, Sutherland added. That would mean annual payments of roughly $3.6 million per year from the AOC, and they could do that without having to go back to the state legislature for further approvals.
Other items of business for the group included the following:
– With Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd, chair, absent and Circuit Clerk Julie Jolly on Zoom but not visible on camera, the other four members present in person or via Zoom unanimously approved a disbursement of $154,889.30, which includes items such as portions of the construction management and design fees, concrete materials, and engineering consultation work for some additional site development needs that were identified, such as for a crosswalk across West Main Street requested by the Kentucky Department of Transportation.
– Brian Estep, a member of the design team, said he had received and reviewed comments from the AOC on the 100-percent-complete construction documents and had also had “a really good” review meeting with AOC personnel earlier in the week to make sure any remaining questions were resolved. Some minor revisions requested by Judge Mica Pence are going to be made to the family court area, he said, but for the most part, the AOC comments did not reflect any major issues.
Estep added that some drawings related to audiovisual matters are being revised, and once those are received, “we’re probably two weeks’ worth of work to get everything incorporated and be able to reissue those drawings.”
– Tommy Gumm, CEO of Alliance Corp., which is the contracted construction management firm for the project, said things seem to be going well with the preconstruction sitework that began late fall. Changes to sewer lines on the site have been completed with the exception of one headwall, which is expected to arrive next week. The site is along West Main Street in Glasgow.
“The grade work is coming along,” Gumm said. “Remember, we had a temporary easement over on [neighboring] property. That work has been done. That will be topsoiled and seeded, hopefully before we get any weather this weekend. The building pad is to grade. We’re actually about ready to put some stone down on the building pad. Other than that, I just need good weather to kind of wrap things up.”
Circuit Judge John T. Alexander, vice chair, said he had walked over the site a little earlier in the day.
“You can start to see what’s happening and start to kind of get your head around the way things are going to be,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting. When the stone gets down on that foundation, that’s going to be really when you can see that.”
– Discussions, but no actions, also took place related to consolidating all the separate properties purchased from three entities into one plat; the possibility of a temporary drainage line, which would involve additional engineering work; and a request from the city engineer to have someone from the project engineering firm present at all times when work takes place on the installation of any structures that are in within right of way areas, which would include the West Main crosswalk, and who should cover the cost of that additional time.
– The next regular meeting is scheduled for noon April 9 in the circuit courtroom on Floor 2 of the Barren County Courthouse, but that one may be cancelled due to absences related to spring break. The next one after that is at 2:30 p.m. April 30 in Fiscal Court Chambers on the third floor of the Barren County Government Center.
