Pierce County Judicial Facility Ad Hoc Committee heard a presentation Jan. 8 by Wold Architects and Market & Johnson on the design development phase of the new judicial facility that will be …
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Pierce County Judicial Facility Ad Hoc Committee heard a presentation Jan. 8 by Wold Architects and Market & Johnson on the design development phase of the new judicial facility that will be built adjacent to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. This portion of the project is all about the details.
Joel Dunning, of Wold Architects, when speaking about the site plan at 555 W. Overlook Drive, informed the committee the Department of Transportation was not amenable to adding an additional access point to the site from Highway 65/North Maple Street. This means the judicial center’s new parking lot will be brought closer to the building with a second access point onto Overlook Drive.
Dunning also said the Department of Natural Resources review of the preliminary stormwater plan has been completed and a certificate of permit coverage issued, which is good news.
Dunning then went through the floor plans of the three levels (basement included), showing members details such as flooring choices, public vs. employee hallways, the secure prisoner transport elevator and more. The lowest level will connect to the jail, with a secure elevator leading up to the courtrooms, a sallyport for transports, underground parking, a mechanical room and future development space. County Administrator Jason Matthys said they’re not planning to put any type of flooring in the future development space since 911 services might move there at some point.
“It might not be prudent to spend money on any concrete floor that we might have to come and bust out for conduits,” Matthys said.
Supervisor Jim Ashbach, who works in commercial building, said it’s not a big deal to cut concrete if needed. He questioned leaving it a dirt floor and the feasibility of putting concrete in once the building is finished down the road.
Architects offered a compromise of putting in a vapor barrier so the floor is not just dirt. They assured the committee bringing in concrete through an outside well is not difficult. Ashbach questioned the costs of putting in the concrete floor now.
“We’re making decisions that I haven’t seen a dollar number tied to it,” he said. “We need to see what’s the logic behind it.”
On the main level, Dunning showed the main entrance weapons screening space and gate. A wall between the entry and exit will be glass so security can also keep an eye on those exiting.
The Clerk of Court offices will be immediately inside the main entrance, along with mail collection and a restroom. A jury assembly room on the main floor could be made into a courtroom in the future.
“It could potentially be used as a large conference room for the county when juries aren’t being assembled,” Dunning said.
The registrar and probate office, Corporation Counsel, and drop-in offices for employees participating in court proceedings will be located on the main floor as well, along with the large north courtroom, which has an adjoining jury deliberation suite and judicial chamber suite for the judge and court reporters.
The second floor will contain two identical courtrooms, along with the district attorney’s offices and victim witness suite. Both floors will contain staff restrooms and kitchenettes separate from public spaces. Flooring will be a mixture of carpet and terrazzo. The east/west corridor and stairways would be terrazzo, with carpeting in other areas, to cut down on noise and cost.
Committee members, who went line by line through items on the furnishings list, debated the cost of tile wainscoting on public hallways vs. paint. Dunning explained that tile provides more durability and less upkeep; County Board Chair Jon Aubart said fixing paint/drywall would be a monthly occurrence, from what he heard at other facilities.
Since the concept design phase presented in October 2023, the square footage of the facility has been finalized to be about 65,618, which is about 1,400 more than originally conceived. The current project cost estimate sits at $31,391,190, which is about $400,000 more than presented during the concept phase, but well within the $1 million contingency budget. However, Matthys stressed that this is not the final number.
“The budget will be subject to change (hopefully decreased) with additional decisions that will need to be made and the results of the project bids which won't likely take place until April,” he said.
Dunning said the current market is “coming in pretty good. We feel pretty comfortable with where we’re at in that budget, looking at current bid trends.”
Currently, the project is within the construction document phase, about one month away from submitting the plan to the state. The finalized bid documents should go out the third week of February, followed by a four-week bid period through mid-March. The committee will receive the final costs after bids are received. The goal is for a May or June start, with site work and utility work occurring first.
“We hope to have the roof going on by December or January,” Dunning said. “We’re looking at roofing products acceptable for lower temperatures. The goal is to be done by October 2026.”
The committee will meet again in early February before the sale of bonds occurs.