photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., is pictured on Sept. 23, 2021.

The details behind a remodel and addition project at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center are narrowing, and Douglas County leaders could soon approve the project’s scope of work.

At Wednesday’s Douglas County Commission meeting, commissioners are set to hear more about the schematic design and overall anticipated scope of work for the project, and they’re also being asked to both approve the scope of work and direct the design and construction team to proceed into the design development phase of the project.

As the Journal-World has reported, past estimates have placed the project’s cost at well over $100 million. It’s not clear from the agenda materials for Wednesday’s meeting what an updated cost estimate for the project might be — a slide in an attached presentation titled “construction budget” is blank as of Tuesday afternoon — but commissioners are getting a clearer picture of how large the project will be.

photo by: Douglas County screenshot

This site plan shows the proposed layout of a planned 58,000-square-foot remodel and addition at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

According to the presentation, commissioners will be considering a final scope of work that calls for a 58,000-square-foot addition with secure parking and holding areas.

They’ll also get a look at the schedule for the design development phase of the project, starting with a May 20 planning submission with the City of Lawrence. Design development is to be completed by July 12, with a city planning review following later that month.

In other business, commissioners will:

* As part of a work session, hear an update on the county’s role in adding supportive housing capacity.

The work session will focus on two strategies to that end: developing a five-year Supportive Housing Capital Improvement Plan and establishing a community supportive housing case management program.

Commissioners don’t take any action on work session items.

* Consider a joint resolution with the Lawrence City Commission adopting “A Place for Everyone” as the community’s strategic plan to end chronic homelessness.

As the Journal-World has reported, both governing bodies are considering the resolution this week, though it only appears as part of the consent agenda — reserved for items generally considered routine that are approved by one vote from commissioners without any discussion — at the City Commission.

The county will receive a presentation about the plan, which calls for more than $267 million in estimated spending over five years, predominantly toward adding more affordable housing,

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Public Works training room at 3755 E. 25th St., and the business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.