Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Finance and Management Director to modify and extend a contract on behalf of the Office of Construction Management with the Design Group for professional services for the first phase of a planned multi-phase renovation of the Municipal Court Building (MCB), located at 375 South High Street.
Built in 1979, the 345,632 square foot MCB houses the Municipal Court, its Judges and related administrative functions, the offices of the Municipal Court Clerk, and the City Attorney’s Prosecutor Division. The MCB, although designed as a court facility, has not been updated since its construction to provide for efficient use of energy, secure holding of persons in custody on courtroom floors, or a separate secure circulation path on court floors for detainees that is separate from staff and public circulation.
Although the City’s and Municipal Court’s related functions occupy the majority of the building, it is owned by the Franklin County Commissioners. Under an April 1, 2009 agreement between the City of Columbus and the Franklin County Commissioners, the County agreed to transfer ownership of the MCB to the City upon the City’s investment of $30,000,000 in capital improvements to the building. To properly and efficiently implement a multi-phased capital improvement program for the MCB, the city engaged Design Group (Ordinances 1130-2010 and 1600-2011) to create a master space plan and phased construction plan to increase the energy efficiency of the building and to address security, functional, and physical plant deficiencies and provide for the future space needs of the Municipal Court.
To address the significant capital needs required to complete the renovation of the MCB and to ensure that the daily operations of the Municipal Court and its related functions are maintained without significant interruption during renovation, a multi-phased implementation strategy was developed. The selection and retention of ...
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