Crews zero in on courthouse design, cost

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The latest site plan for the courthouse puts it directly over Missouri Street and allows for a parking lot and storage area between it and the jail. PROVIDED
In the original site plan, the new courthouse building did not overlap what is now Missouri Street. PROVIDED
Latest cost estimates for the new courthouse project are slightly higher than originally estimated, but crews have cut costs, officials say. PROVIDED

August 31, 2010

Zack Stoycoff Staff Reporter The Claremore Daily Progress Tue Aug 31, 2010, 12:01 PM CDT

CLAREMORE — Rogers County’s new courthouse has been nudged over and stretched to take advantage of the closing of Missouri Street, according to schematics unveiled Monday.

Architects have also adjusted their estimate for construction cost to about $22.1 million — up slightly from $21 million when the project was proposed last year. But officials say that’s good news, given the rising costs of materials.

“Flintco has been working hard to cut costs without cutting corners,” District 3 Commissioner Kirt Thacker said.

Estimates for the E911 center, which was approved in the same voter package, have been reduced from $2 million to $1.5 million to compensate for the increased cost of the courthouse.

But BKL architect Kim Reeves hailed “big and small” adjustments by designers and Flintco crews for keeping costs down.

It also helps that the uncertainty surrounding Missouri Street is gone, he said.

Until Claremore city councilors approved closing the street, architects were considering shrinking the courthouse to fit in the lot between the street and the jail in case negotiations between city and county officials fell through.

They now plan to put the building directly on what is now Missouri Street, creating a parking lot and outdoor storage area between it and the county jail. That means the building has been moved forward slightly, but parking in its front parking lot will not be significantly affected, Reeves said.

“It’s been pushed and pulled, dimensions have changed, but it essentially looks the same,” Reeves said.

Original plans called for a direct connection between the courthouse and jail, but architects said prisoners being walked to the courthouse will still be hidden by a fence surrounding the parking lot.

The latest site plan, unveiled to Rogers County Commissioners Monday, still call for a “memorial mall,” or a walkway with trees and sculptures cutting through the parking lot. There are also plans for a small plaza holding three flagpoles abutting Highway 66.

Latest schematics reveal a floor plan on the small end of architects’ planned range — just over 95,000 square feet. Reeves said in June the building could range from 95,000 to 105,000 square feet.

But newest plans also call for a larger front lobby.

“It should provide a great place, sense of arrival, signage,” Reeves said.

The building’s defining feature will still be its grand staircase, which will provide access to all four floors.

County offices are planned of the first and second floors, with courtrooms and meeting areas on the third and fourth floors.

Demolition of buildings in the 200 block of Missouri Street was expected to begin early this month, but commissioners have said they are still waiting for crews to finish cutting utilities.

Reeves also presented a set of schematics for an E911 call center in the courthouse basement. But commissioners said they are closer to securing a site for the other project approved by voters in December, and they believe people want the two projects separate.

District 1 Commissioner Dan DeLozier said it appears likely that a Claremore woman will donate land for the call center. If that falls through, the county may be able to purchase the land from another resident.

DeLozier said he may know later this week which site will be used.

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