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- Hays County Builds Upon SuccessPosted on: 2012-01-31SAN MARCOS, TX January 31, 2012 – The single largest construction project ever undertaken by Hays County will have a grand opening ceremony on February 2nd, 3:30 pm, at 712 South Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos, Texas. Broaddus & Associates was the project manager for the $62-million, 232,000-square-foot Hays County Government Center that houses courts and government functions for 19 departments and over 400 personnel. The design and construction team diligently worked with the owner to reduce $56 million for this building project, an incredible feat that sets a nationwide industry standard.
The Hays County Commissioners Court is the overall managing/governing body of the county, and includes Judge Bert Cobb plus Commissioners Debbie Ingalsbe (Precinct 1 - San Marcos), Mark Jones (Precinct 2), Will Conley (Precinct 3), and Ray Whisenant (Precinct 4). Staff and court facilities were previously housed in multiple locations across the county. The courts had separation, traffic, private communication, and security challenges. In addition, the district clerk and district attorney offices at the justice center were especially overcrowded for both court and administrative space. For over 12 years, Commissioner Ingalsbe spearheaded the campaign to build a new government center, to provide a one-stop location for many of the public services, and create adequate working space for county personnel. Hays County Commissioners Court began incorporating building funds into the tax rate in 2005.
Previous commissioners’ courts had twice assessed the feasibility of building this government center, but did not proceed due to the high cost. The project was well underway, with a design prepared for a seven-story building, when the project manager was retained in April 2009. As the facility’s design was unaffordable, with an approximately $118 million total project cost, Broaddus & Associates set about to create efficient, effective solutions.
At that time, Broaddus & Associates Vice President Brenda Jenkins stressed, “The county is very clear in its mandate to create a landmark facility while being good stewards of county funds. B&A is committed to delivering this important project in the most cost-effective manner. We are excited to represent the county in achieving their goal.”
Upon completing design and constructability reviews, value engineering, and defining utility/infrastructural needs, Broaddus & Associates proposed a right-sizing program and design-build process, both of which were approved by the court. Right-sizing scaled down the building’s size, reprogramming the project into a more efficient project, while keeping the same departments’ relationships and functions intact.
“Often reducing costs simply means reducing square footage or quality, but that did not happen with our project”, noted Ms. Jenkins.
The design-build project delivery method has multiple advantages. This method provides a single point of responsibility, as the designer and contractor work as a team. Design-build also offers advance knowledge of project cost and the potential for a shortened schedule.
Broaddus & Associates Senior Project Manager Bob Hinkle remarked, “Design-build enabled us to verify the scope that we needed and to limit costs, which fit the needs for Hays County. We made all factors of scope, quality, time, and cost converge within the programming and design-build selection phase, which provided Hays County with a comfort level that allowed them to proceed with financing in March.”
When asked about the project manager’s goal, he stated, “We wanted to be the manager the client would like to be, if they had all the time and expertise necessary to build the right building for themselves.”
After Broaddus & Associates issued the request for qualifications, teams were shortlisted and interviewed by the Hays County Government Center Steering Committee. Upon selection of Balfour Beatty/HDR, the project manager prepared a two-phase contract. Phase one required the design-build team to produce a schematic design for approval, and then proceed to design development and guaranteed maximum price confirmation. Balfour Beatty/HDR was retained within a total project cost of $73.9 million, which included construction cost alongside project-related costs. The court approved Balfour Beatty/HDR’s guaranteed maximum price proposal of under $53 million. For financing, the county issued $71.2 million in certificates of obligation at under five percent interest, and also used funds set aside in a capital improvement budget line item. Phase two required construction documents completion and permitting/sitework commencement.
During the groundbreaking ceremony on late April 2010, former County Judge Sumter mentioned, “The government center has a budget that could not be met until Broaddus & Associates stepped in. Their attention to detail, keeping the county staff on track, open and constant communication with the commissioner court members and professional handholding has saved Hays County more than the millions already spent and future dollars on projects in the pipeline. ”
Through diligent teamwork, the design and construction team brought construction cost down to $50 million. As project manager, Broaddus & Associates strived to thoroughly identify the client’s building program, and give as much information as possible to the design-build team. Broaddus & Associates effectively managed the program, design, construction, systems, in addition to furniture, fixture, and equipment. Balfour Beatty/HDR provided concept images, which combined Building Information Modeling and comprehensive estimates so that the project team had a thorough understanding. Also, upfront planning and preconstruction services by the design-build team greatly aided in project progress. Preconstruction services secured final costs through the design, which created significant savings. Moreover, competitive subcontractor pricing further reduced the budget. Having the contractor involved in design was crucial in maintaining the schedule. The design-build team’s BIM utilization made the building’s electromechanical infrastructure far easier to navigate, with a clash detection system. BIM also enabled virtual building walkthroughs for the project team and Hays County officials.
The Hays County Government Center has two main structural components, a two-story administrative/government services building and a three-story justice center. The components are connected by a rotunda with a 70-foot high dome. The justice center has a security function to screen nonemployees entering the building, and a sally-port entrance at the building’s back to bring prisoners in for court proceedings. The facility is designed for secure courtrooms, energy efficiency, and future growth accommodation.
This new facility resolves current county court, office, and storage space shortages plus inadequate parking, ensuring a more streamlined, effective operation for these departments and the residents they serve. It also relieves the county of its outdated rental space in downtown San Marcos, and offers an opportunity for economic redevelopment at that area. Space is provided for the following offices: District courts, county court-at-law, district attorney, compliance/collections, adult probation, county clerk, district clerk, juvenile probation, treasurer, auditor, tax assessor-collector, justice of the peace, human resources, elections, information technology, grants administration, constable and security operations.
Commissioner Ingalsbe commented, “My experience with Broaddus & Associates has just been exceptional. They have shown us that design-build was the way to go; they have done an outstanding job, and have really been a great leader for our project. I appreciate their knowledge and desire to do the best job they can, and I am very appreciative of their services to our county. They are very high on my list of recommendations.”
Keeping future growth in mind, the building is designed so that the three-story structure’s east and west sides can be expanded, and that the north side can be further developed for an annex or accessory building. Hays County Government Center suits both the owner and taxpayer; this building project paves the methodology for a quality public building with the right budget and timeline.
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Local Film Debuts Feb. 4thPosted on: 2011-01-28
Campus Radio, a movie conceived and set in San Marcos, is having its world premiere not in L.A. or New York, but at the Starplex Theatre on February 4th. Shot in 2008 and 2009 in Austin and San Marcos, Campus Radio is a romantic comedy about a band manager torn between his love of the band and his love of its sexy new singer.
Written and directed by Aaron James Sorensen, Campus Radio stars Canadian actor Tom Belding and Austin actress and singer Lauren Walsh. The film is a follow-up to Sorensen¡¯s 2005 film, Hank Williams First Nation, which premiered at the AFI festival. While Sorensen describes Hank Williams as his country movie, Campus Radio, featuring a sensational soundtrack of local bands, represents Sorensen¡¯s rock ¡®n¡¯ roll movie. Bands featured in the soundtrack include One Eyed Doll, Adrian and the Sickness, Belaire, Jesse DeNatale, Annabella, Yellow Fever, Get Back Loretta, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, and the Felice Brothers, just to name a few.
The film, which was shot on location at Texas State and UT Austin, features such Central Texas landmarks as Sixth Street, South Congress, East Austin, and in San Marcos, such hangouts as the Town Square, KTSW Radio, and Tantra coffeehouse.
Shortly after moving to Austin in 2008, Sorensen, a Canadian musician turned filmmaker, was working on a script at Tantra coffeehouse when he looked across the parking lot and saw people playing football on unicycles. His immediate reaction was, ¡°this has got to be in a movie.¡± Today it is. Billed by its distributor, Extra Butter Pictures, as a rock ¡®n¡¯ roll romantic comedy, Campus Radio features the Unicycle Football League, SXSW live music performances, and several recognizable San Marcos people and places, which can be viewed on the movie¡¯s Facebook page.
Campus Radio will hold its red carpet premiere February 4th at the Starplex theatre, followed by a Q&A session with the director and actors and complete with an afterparty at Tantra. The trailer can be viewed at www.campusradiothemovie.com.
