Major remodel of Reno County Courthouse pushing ahead, but it could take 8 months longer

The Reno County Commission on Tuesday approved a nearly $104,000 contract with a Wichita architect to create detailed design drawings and bid specifications for a remodel of the interior of the county courthouse – despite some commissioners not being fully satisfied with the plan.

A principal with the company, GLMV Architecture, indicated it could take eight months to finish the plans before construction starts.

The commission had hoped new commission chambers would be ready when the board grows to five members in January. There is also pressure to begin remodeling the fifth floor to give the Reno County District Attorney’s office more space.

The remodel of the historic courthouse is estimated to cost at least $1.6 million, including furnishings, with some work done on every floor.

The desire is to better utilize space in a building that has been partially empty since most county offices moved out to the annex across the street in June 2016.

Besides the new commission chambers, changes to the ground floor include converting the existing commission chambers and county administrator’s office into five new offices for commissioners and a meeting room for commission executive sessions.

Other changes include adding three offices in the southeast corner of the fourth floor, expanding the jury deliberation room on the third floor and relocating the county's Information Technology Department to the second floor.

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To accomplish the latter, a walkway is proposed to be installed linking the north and south mezzanines, to make them both handicap accessible.

For fire safety, a second set of stairs will be installed between the fourth and fifth floors on the east side, and the third-floor corridor will be modified to tie into a fire-rated staircase.

Bradley Doeden with GLMV, County Maintenance Director Harlan Depew and County Administrator Randy Partington presented the proposed design contract to the commission on Tuesday, based on a space study completed last year.

Partington noted that the architects have worked with every department in the courthouse to come up with the design and will meet with them at least once more “to make sure we’ve covered every aspect of the building… and so we don’t forget any department or agency in the process.”

Why eight months?

Doeden indicated they might be able to have plans drafted and go out to bid sooner than eight months, but “a lot of variables are involved.”

“I’m disappointed in that number,” Commissioner Ron Sellers said. “We owe it to the District Attorney to get the fifth floor taken care of. We also owe it to the five commission members to have a room that fits five members and 40 chairs for the audience. This room (County Annex conference room) has been filled at times this spring. There are not enough chairs to sit in.”

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Commissioner Ron Hirst also said he’d like the timeline sped up.

“But at the same time, we don’t want to make mistakes and come back and the construction guys say ‘this is not in the plan, so it will be another $100,000,” Hirst said. “Cost overruns, to me, is poor planning.” 

Depew said there have been enough conversations with department heads during the development of the plans they may be able to get “sign off and buy-in” sooner than indicated and move the timeline up.

Sellers moved to approve the contract, which Hirst seconded.

But Commission Chair Daniel Friesen raised concerns about the proposed commission chambers design.

“The panels look kind of like walking into a cubicle station,” Friesen said, referring to the proposed prefabricated 10-foot high partial walls with a baffled ceiling.

Doeden said they could explore some other options, but he didn’t have a breakdown of what each part of the chamber design cost, only an overall cost including furnishings estimated at more than $180,000.

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Friesen then suggested just continuing to use the Annex meeting room for commission meetings and adding two more desks, which Hirst said he could agree with, pending better cost estimates on alternate designs.

Questions about not following courthouse's historical designation rules

“It seems like the open area (in the courthouse) is still highly inefficient as far as the utilization of the space,” Friesen said.

He then inquired what would happen if the county decided not to follow rules imposed because of the building’s historic designation and enclose the area.

Doeden said he wasn’t sure, but he worked with a school renovation project in Emporia “where there were fines and penalties,” and the project “ultimately came to a stop.”

Hirst said the county should inquire whether some parts of the building could be removed from the historical list, but Sellers objected.

“I’d make the case you’re both wrong even to consider taking away the majesty of the courthouse,” Seller said. “We should be doing things to make it look like it is, to develop on that look and not do things to take it away.”

“You can still do things and respect history,” Friesen said, noting there had to be a balance between the wants of the State Historical Society and taxpayers.

Doeden clarified that the architectural fee would be the same regardless of the final project.

Noting they agreed on the need to proceed with the DA’s office and other elements, and could debate the commission chambers later, Sellers called for the vote, which passed unanimously.

The commission asked for an update in 45 to 60 days.