St. Mary's County Courthouse Renovation and Expansion

Client: St. Mary’s County Office of Procurement

Location: Leonardtown, Maryland

Services: Construction management

The St. Mary’s County Courthouse in Leonardtown, MD, has been located on the same historic site for nearly 300 years, tracing its roots to 1710. Through the years, the face of the historic structure has changed, with the courts being rebuilt in the 1830s and renovated again in 1901 and 1956.

In the mid-1990s, the need to expand the County’s judicial facilities stirred debate over whether to abandon the historic site and build new courts at the modern County governmental complex, one mile away. A grass roots campaign to keep the Courts downtown defeated this proposal, and construction began on the existing 30,000-square-foot building and 60,000-square-foot addition.

As the construction manager for the $11.6 million project, KCI faced several challenges associated with unforeseen structural issues in the old building and the owner’s requirement for tenants to review and, if necessary, modify the design during construction. The work involved demolishing all but the outside and interior load bearing walls of the existing courthouse and constructing a new addition on the south, connected to the old building by an atrium. KCI’s application of proactive scheduling solutions and value engineering (VE) techniques minimized delays, allowing the project to be completed in May 2001 within budget using available contingency funds—without requiring additional government appropriations.

KCI conducted a value engineering study of the post-bid design drawings and specifications. The team included representatives from many engineering and architectural disciplines. After discussing ways to reduce costs without sacrificing quality, KCI developed 50 recommendations and eventually implemented 28, which saved the County about $440,000. The VE Team also evaluated 20 deductive bid alternatives and recommended incorporating 12 into the bid package, allowing additional savings of $176,000.

KCI’s CM efforts played an important role in minimizing the contractor’s request for an extension, from 454 to 369 calendar days, which helped the owner realize nearly $386,000 in cost savings. Richard Rohrbaugh, the County’s Director of Facilities Management, praised KCI for managing the costs associated with the structural and tenant changes in light of a tight fiscal environment. Leonardtown Mayor J. Harry Norris III also expressed thanks, noting that KCI “was in the position of trying to please a large, varied group of individuals…and handled this position in a professional manner.” Underscoring the importance of preservation projects, Mayor Norris read a letter during dedication ceremonies on June 28th from President George W. Bush, praising “all who had a hand in protecting and preserving this courthouse for the benefit of future generations.”

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