photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Commissioners Karen Willey and Shannon Reid attend the county meeting on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at the Public Works Building, 3755 E 25th St.

Douglas County commissioners signed off on stone masonry restoration work for the exterior of the historic Douglas County Courthouse at their meeting on Wednesday.

The commissioners approved a $791,367 agreement to clean all sides of the courthouse and to restore and repoint portions of the west elevation, as well as the entire south, east, and north elevations. These facades were not addressed in the courthouse’s previous restoration work in 2010, according to a memo in the meeting’s agenda materials. The project work is estimated to commence in late September or early October.

The memo noted that five bids were submitted for the project, ranging from the low bid of $791,367 to $1,269,854. All of the bids were below the architect’s estimate of $3,021,185.

After receiving the bids, Director of Capital Projects Jay Zimmerschied said he was trying to figure out why the department was receiving such low bids, and that one of the factors might have been the timing.

“We believe timing was really excellent on the project in terms of a lot of stone masonry work, it appears, has been wrapping up,” Zimmerschied said. “The subcontractors that do this type of work were available and hungry for the work, and so they were bidding aggressively.”

In other business, commissioners:

* Approved an additional $75,000 in funding for the treasurer’s office’s new satellite site due to unforeseen utility work that is expected to exceed the original budget. This adjustment brings the total project budget to $1,678,275.

According to the Journal-World, the treasurer’s satellite office in south Lawrence will relocate to a larger space at 2601 W. Sixth St. in west Lawrence later this year. The new office, scheduled to be completed by mid-October, will be double the size of the current 2,500-square-foot space occupied for the past eight years.

A memo in the agenda indicated that once construction commenced, it was discovered that the existing utilities did not meet current standards and were inadequate for the project. This necessitated additional utility work and funding beyond the original design and budget. The extra work includes relocating the existing electrical service line, installing a dedicated fire suppression water line, relocating a natural gas line, and extending a fiber line to connect with county infrastructure.

Staff estimated that the project would exceed the approved budget by approximately $50,000 and requested an additional $75,000 to ensure the project met the expected quality and scope.

* Approved a special event permit for Garrett’s Haunted Farm, an outdoor Halloween-themed festival to be held from Thursday, Sept. 26, to Sunday, Nov. 3, at 1387 East 1650 Road. The event will feature children’s activities during the day and a “zombie paintball hunt” in the evening.