Douglas County leaders to receive update on spacing needs for $100 million-plus Judicial and Law Enforcement Center renovation project

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Douglas County Courthouse is pictured Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.

More details about the size of a proposed renovation of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center are expected to be presented at Wednesday’s Douglas County Commission meeting.

While plans have since evolved, commissioners were told in May that the county’s courtrooms were much smaller than typical courtrooms in other jurisdictions. Jeff Lane, the principal architect with TreanorHL overseeing the project, said that it might need to nearly double the amount of “useable square footage” inside the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, which is located next door to the historic Douglas County Courthouse at 11th and Massachusetts streets.

Commissioners in September narrowed their choices to a set of plans that come with a price tag between $105 million and $112 million, although total costs could be much more. As the Journal-World reported in November, one of the plans the county is considering would be built in phases, with the second phase not beginning for at least 15 years. However, the cost estimates provided to the county are in current dollars. Inflation likely would add tens of millions of dollars to the construction estimates over a 15-year period.

How those cost estimates mesh with the county’s desire to complete the project without a tax increase is one of the issues commissioners are likely to explore as planning for the project moves ahead.

While the county is still considering several options, the expansion of court facilities via the addition of a separate wing to the current structure is a common theme among them. Also, the construction of a new building near the Douglas County Jail in eastern Lawrence is found in many of the options. That new building would house operations for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the county’s 911 dispatch center, and the county’s emergency management functions.

Lane, the architect, is expected on Wednesday to present commissioners with fleshed-out details of the remaining options. He said in September that he would return to the commission in a few months with a “couple different options that identify what spaces can and cannot work.”

“Time is of the essence and dollars are out there, so I don’t want to drag it along,” Lane told commissioners at the Sept. 27 meeting. “But I want to give proper time to make sure we’re going in the right direction.”

In other business, commissioners will:

• Consider directing staff to issue a request for proposals for a remodeling of the County Commission meeting room at the Douglas County Courthouse. The proposed remodeling is a separate project from the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center renovation. At their meeting on Wednesday, commissioners will consider approving project drawings, as well as the estimated project budget.

Roughly $1.38 million was previously allocated within the county’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan for upgrades to the commission’s meeting room. Part of the drive for the renovations is the upcoming expansion of the County Commission from three members to five. Voters in November 2022 approved expanding the commission, and the first five-member commission will be seated in January 2025.

• Consider authorizing a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that will give the county money to distribute to residents who are chronically homeless and in need of rental support and other supportive services. According to a memo from Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur, the grant could serve up to a dozen individuals with a total of $108,432 in rental assistance and $187,600 for supportive services such as assistance from a dedicated case manager. The grant begins Jan. 1 and lasts for 15 months, according to information provided to commissioners.

• Consider approving a statement that outlines the county’s top priorities for the upcoming 2024 Kansas legislative session in January. Commissioners reviewed the statement on Dec. 6 but did not approve it at that meeting.

The commission’s work session begins at 4 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse at 11th and Massachusetts streets. The regular meeting follows at 5:30 p.m. The meeting can be viewed via Zoom. The agenda packet can be found on the county’s website, www.douglascountyks.org.