County bristles over change orders

SANDPOINT — As much as $200,000 in additional funding is needed to complete remodeling of Bonner County’s century-old courthouse.

The change orders are expected to push the total cost of the project past the $1 million mark, a sum that does not sit well with county commissioners. The project’s contract bid amount was $828,300.

Commissioners held off paying two recent change orders on Tuesday until they had a chance to meet with representatives from Ginno Construction Co. and architectural firm LCA on Friday.

Much of the discussion centered around the discovery of a substandard electrical system array, which is expected to cost $131,506 to rectify. County officials asserted during the meeting that LCA should have discovered that a 600-amp electrical service box contained a 700-amp breaker.

“It’s in bright red, stamped in there very clearly: 600-amp service. The first breaker in the box is 700. I don’t understand how your electrical engineer missed this,” said Commissioner Mike Nielsen.

Commissioner Cornel Rasor also felt that the discrepancy should have been discovered before work started.

Steven Simmons of LCA said the company was not tasked with doing a full analysis of the building entire electrical system. LCA was hired to make sure there was sufficient power supply for an elevator and courtroom upgrades, which was done by the company.

County officials also bristled at a $17,408 change order for asbestos removal from an upstairs courtroom, a condition county officials advised LCA of before work began last year. The board’s unease was amplified by another asbestos issue involving the remodeling of the first floor of the Bonner County Administration Building, another condition LCA should have been aware of.

“We cannot afford those types of surprises,” said Clerk Marie Scott, the county’s budget officer.

County commissioners suggested LCA share some responsibility in paying for the electrical issue, but the company disagreed.

Another added cost to the project’s bottom line is reinforcing the ceiling in 1st District Judge Steve Verby’s courtroom. Everybody involved with the project knew that was an issue, but the extent of it remained clear until workers started removing walls.

“We knew we had a problem, but a lot of it had to be exposed,”

The courtroom ceiling is held in place by a large steel beam on the roof of the courthouse. But the beam rests unanchored on crumbling brickwork on each end of the roof.

It will cost up to $25,000 to transfer the ceiling’s load from either end of the courthouse to the ground.

Scott said she will review the county’s budgets to pull together the additional $200,000.

“Frankly, I don’t know where we’re going to get it,” she said. “I don’t know.”