Commissioners OK $134,502.55 furniture purchase for DA; remodel update shows May completion and a planned change order

County staff introduced a request to purchase furniture for the district attorney's new 5th-floor offices and provided a general update on the courthouse interior remodel.

Staff said the furniture purchase for the DA area totals $134,502.55; shelving will be purchased through a different vendor at a cost not to exceed $12,000. The funding, staff said, was budgeted in the 2023 general fund for courthouse improvements and has been moved to the Capital Equipment Reserve Fund, which staff said contains roughly $700,000, enough to cover the furniture request.

District Attorney Tom Stanton told commissioners that access concerns for court staff had been addressed: a back stairway gives staff access to storage areas so they would not need to come through the DA office. One commissioner who had opposed prior remodel expenditures said he would vote for the furniture based on observed needs in the DA area.

The board voted to approve the furniture purchase and shelving authorization by roll call, 4-0, with one commissioner absent.

On the remodel timeline, Ward Davis of Ward Davis Builders and county staff reported that the first through fourth floors are complete (first floor pending carpet replacement), the fifth floor is nearing completion with painting and ceilings underway, and the contractor is projecting substantial completion in April and final completion in May. Staff reported abatement is needed for asbestos in adhesive beneath West Side tile before that carpet can be replaced.

Staff also presented a consolidated set of small change items totaling $24,007.56 and said the contract requires a 62-day time extension; the architect is preparing formal AIA documentation and staff expects the change order to appear in the consent agenda at the next meeting.

The board took no formal action on the change order at this meeting; staff will return with the formal documents for approval.