A.G. Gancarski
The front entrance to Jacksonville’s City Hall is substantially renovated, and is open ahead of the anticipated January 2017 date of completion.
The schedule was “purposely accelerated to have the project complete before the holidays,” even as “minor grouting and cleanup work remain.”
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the project, budgeted at $549,000 earlier this year, came in $80,000 above that number.
The city’s public works department explained the cost escalators.
“There was one change order issued earlier this month that addressed some conditions found during construction and accelerated the completion date. That change order was valued at $70,058.25, making the current contract value $619,058.25. There will be a second change order valued at approximately $10,500 to cover extra work not in the original bid scope, including pressure washing and sealing the stone (steps, landing, columns) and landscaping. Final contract value is expected to be approximately $629,550.”
The project, handled by Jacksonville’s KBT Contracting, was dedicated to addressing issues of non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and included “new sidewalks, entrance landings, walks, steps, ramps, railing, planters, modification of the existing store front system at the east entrance to add new entrance doors, and related construction of cast stone brick pavers, concrete, retaining wall, concrete masonry foundation walls, concrete and steel structural framing and foundations, precast stones, landscaping improvements, tree grates, bollard relocation, electrical work, irrigation work, plumbing work, and all other related work not specified herein but which is necessary to complete the project.”
The four-story brick building was designed a century ago by Henry Klutho, and boasts a skylight as one of its key design elements.
The post-Consolidation exodus of meaningful retail from downtown left the building vacant until Mayor Ed Austin revived the structure in his River City Renaissance initiative.
