COLUMBUS — The construction of Bartholomew County’s new court services center will likely begin next month and be completed in early 2022.
Columbus City Council approved a resolution Tuesday authorizing the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to spend a not-to-exceed amount of $3,662,670 to engage two contractors — Dunlap & Co., Inc and Barth Electric Co., Inc., of Indianapolis — for work on the building.
The vote was 6-0 to approve the resolution; city councilman David Bush abstained due to having a “potential pecuniary interest.” He told the Republic that his business, Kenny Glass, Inc., has a “letter of intent to do work on the project.”
In January, the redevelopment commission chose Dunlap for general and mechanical work on the project with a combination bid of $3,425,000, and Barth Electric for electrical work with a bid of $237,670.
Project architect Steve Risting said that once these expenses were approved, it would be possible to move forward with finalizing the engagement of both companies. He said that Dunlap is ready to begin work in March and intends to complete the project in 12 months.
Risting, along with David Doup, who acts as an owner’s representative and project manager for the county commissioners, reviewed bids for the project.
Risting said that while the bids came in slightly over budget, the county decided to accept the amounts as they are.
“The commissioners have been a part of this,” he said. “Their desire is to have a nice building and have agreed to proceed with the local contractor, as well as we have local subs with the project.”
“It’s been a collaborative effort between the redevelopment commission, the City of Columbus, the county commissioners,” Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said. “Steve Risting and Dave Doup have done a fabulous job of putting together this building. And I think that it’s something that the community will be very proud of.”
Mayor Jim Lienhoop likewise thanked the commissioners for their “assistance and collaboration,” as did city councilwoman Elaine Hilber.
Hilber also thanked the redevelopment commission for their work on the project.
“Just like we said a couple weeks ago, this is a small step in a very big plan to execute what is Envision Columbus,” she said. “And I think that, again, it’s the right direction for our community, moving forward.”
Plans call for the current court services building, located in the former Elks Club at 507 Third St., to be torn down. That would empty an entire county-owned block for the city’s new hotel and conference center between Second, Franklin, Third and Lafayette streets.
The city receives that property as part of a land swap. In exchange, construction of the new court services building will mostly be handled by the city. Taylor Brothers Construction Co. has been selected by the Bartholomew County Commissioners to manage pre-construction and construction phases for the building.
The site of the new court services center will be 555 First St. The city recently purchased property at this site and took possession on Jan. 15, said redevelopment director Heather Pope.
The mayor said in his recent State of the City address that the demolition of the current building at 555 First St. has begun.
However, while plans for the new court services center are moving forward, Sprague Hotel Developers has put the hotel/conference center project on hold for the time being, due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry.
“The hotel/conference center is a key component of our downtown strategy and we are disappointed that we don’t have more to report,” Lienhoop said. “The developers and the hotel brand they intend to partner with remain excited about the opportunity, and we remain convinced its day will come, but their lenders are waiting for the pandemic to subside.”
The proposed hotel/conference center is a major piece 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.
