Tulsa County commissioners formally hit the reset button on construction of a new family justice center Monday by canceling its contract with the builder and amending its agreement with the architect designing the facility.
Commissioners say the reboot is necessary to bring down the cost of the center to meet available revenue of roughly $41 million. The move is expected to delay the start of the project, which is already behind schedule, by eight to nine weeks.
Commission Chairman Ron Peters said canceling the flexible “manager at risk” contract with Manhattan Construction and rebidding the project under a “hard” bid process will save several million dollars, although it will trigger a $35,000 buyout clause.
Peters said the cancellation was not related to Manhattan’s performance.
Also approved Monday was an amended agreement narrowing the scope of service and lowering the fee for architects Selser Schaefer.
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Funding for the project is limited to $41 million from a designated sales tax approved in 2014. In the past year, estimates for the center soared as high as $83 million.
Officials said Monday that the facility, to be built at the northwest edge of the Inner Dispersal Loop, has been changed from four stories to two stories but with about the same square footage. It will house juvenile and family courts, related services, and beds for juveniles in the custody of state and local officials.
The commission voted to move the retirement age for new employees from 62 to 65 or when age and years of service equal 90 instead of the present 80. Officials said the change brings Tulsa County in line with state policy.
randy.krehbiel @tulsaworld.com
Twitter: @rkrehbiel
