Courthouse renovation estimate at $3 million
The latest estimate for what it will cost to renovate the Trempealeau County courthouse as the new justice center is completed is roughly $3 million, though several variables will likely affect the final price tag.
The latest figure is somewhat below the original prediction of $3.5 million but the county could still need to increase borrowing to cover the costs.
The county property committee Monday voted to authorize the architect of the justice center, Venture Architects, to proceed with the design for the courthouse renovations. The county’s construction consultant Kurt Berner of Samuels Group said the design would take about six months and would be followed by putting the work out for bid. The justice center is on pace to be completed by this fall.
“I think we should get a plan,” said committee member David Orsch, “that has the least number of phases, with the least disruption, at the least cost.”
The work to the existing courthouse involves reconfiguring, for instance, a courtroom into office space. Berner said the final figures will depend on the type of finishes, for floors, walls and ceilings, the project will include and how many phases of work the county authorizes.
The committee also grappled with how to stage the renovations to minimize moving employees and avoiding duplicate costs. Berner said department heads appear to agree on where offices should be located.
County information technology director Tim Robertson and maintenance supervisor Jeremy Matheny also noted that they will need plan information to be able to get needed equipment and supplies.
“We need a budget for connecting the two buildings,” Robertson said, “to tie together different camera and badges and locks.”
Robertson noted, for instance, that a courtroom that will become an office does not have computer networks. Matheny cautioned that it would be up to the state to decide whether the renovation were significant enough to require a courthouse sprinkler system.
“We could lose our grandfathered exemption,” Mathey said. “A sprinkler system alone could be $1.5 million.”
“At some point we’re going to have to talk about financing, borrowing,” said committee member Richard Sacia. “We’re looking at $3 million just for the basics.”
Berner said those figures “might be premature. Let’s see what the bids are.”
When the now $47 million justice center project began, $3.5 million was set aside for courthouse work. That $3.5 million, a contingency fund and some county funds from the American Rescue Plan Act have had to be added to the $43 million the county borrowed for the center.
