County plans parking garage repair, possible plaza renovation
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The parking garage for Courthouse Square as seen from Beau Street in Washington
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The plaza at Courthouse Square in Washington
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Inside the parking garage at Courthouse Square in Washington
Courtesy of Washington County
A rendering of a potential redesign plan for the plaza outside the county jail and the Courthouse Square office building
The Courthouse Square office building and parking garage are pushing 40, so Washington County plans a major renovation that may also include work on the plaza that replaced part of West Cherry Avenue when a new jail was constructed in the mid-1990s.
The commissioners will be including on today’s 10 a.m. agenda a vote to seek bids for the project.
At an agenda-setting session Wednesday, the board learned that the cost of design alone by GIA Consultants Inc. of Southpointe is approaching $400,000.
Engineering fees, according to Scott Fergus, director of administration for the county, will be paid from the county’s allocation of state Act 13 fees on “fracked” natural gas wells.
“It’s a pretty extensive project,” said Randy Vankirk, county purchasing director, after the meeting.
Torrential rains during the past year have taken their toll on the garage, which has sprung leaks that have damaged cars parked below, so waterproofing will be a must.
Window frames in the office building also leak, and bid specifications call for caulking plus changes to its entryways.
The county will be offering two separate bid packages. One will include the plaza and the other will omit it.
In the bid for plaza renovation, the county also wants to improve access to persons with disabilities, said Vince Ley, project engineer with the county planning department.
One parking level is to remain open while workers are busy on other levels. The county will likely seek additional parking elsewhere and has already gotten permission from the city to designate two handicapped-accessible spots along West Beau Street.
If a contract is awarded and work proceeds as planned, the county hopes to finish the job “before the snow flies” in late 2019, Ley said.