The Columbus Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously Monday to hire an architect to design a new facility for county government.
Under a land swap agreement, the city will build a new Bartholomew County Court Services building, as well as parking lot, on the south side of First Street across from the county jail.
There is already a verbal agreement with the county to relocate the building in the area formerly occupied by the Eynon Law Office, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop said. Property owner Tony Moravec has also been agreeable during discussions, the mayor said last week.
Once the new Court Services and parking lot are completed, the city will swap the new complex for the county-owned block surrounded by Second, Franklin, Third and Lafayette streets. That is the location where the city wants to construct a new hotel/conference center and parking garage.
The redevelopment commission approved the architecture and engineering agreement with Steve Risting to design the new Court Services Center and adjacent parking lot. Risting is one of two principal architects with the Indianapolis-based atelierRisting Architecture and Design studio.
Under the approved contract, the amount being paid to Risting and his firm is not to exceed $246,570, redevelopment director Heather Pope said.
During his presentation, Risting provided what he described as preliminary conceptual ideas that estimate the Court Services building project at a cost of $3 million to $3.5 million, which includes the parking lot.
The city would pay the first $2 million to acquire the property off of First Street and build a new Court Services building, and the county will pick up the rest of the bill, Lienhoop said.
The conceptual ideas have already been shared with the Bartholomew County commissioners, who have given them preliminary approval, the mayor said. While a preliminary schedule has been developed, Risting says meetings need to take place to determine whether or not the timetable is realistic under the latest economic downturn.
But the Indianapolis archietect emphasized the fee approved Monday includes “a complete architecture, engineering, site survey and testing team.”
In total, he is bringing in eight consultants that including several engineers, surveyors, and a professional cost estimator to work on the project, Risting said.
The proposed hotel/conference center is part of the city’s 2018 Envision Columbus downtown strategic development plan. It has been described as a road map for the future of the commercial area of downtown Columbus and its neighboring residential areas and parks
During Monday’s meeting, city councilman Tom Dell told the commission that the hotel/conference center is extremely important to the overall development of the downtown area.
Risting reminded the commission that it was his company that developed the $2 million addition to St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus that was completed last year.
The contract with Risting gives the city the opportunity to work with someone who has worked in Columbus who is well-respected and that local officials feel comfortable working with,” Dell said.
Even though the building and parking lot will eventually be provided to the county, Risting said he considers the Columbus Redevelopment Commission his client on the project, with all correspondence being channeled through Pope.
