Town council poised to hire FRPD headquarters oversight contractor

The Front Royal Town Council appears poised to approve a $173,400 contract with JTS LLC to act as Clerk of the Works to oversee construction of the new police headquarters.  JTS principal and Vice President of Operations Kenneth J. Cordo presented his firm’s case to council at a July 3 work session.  Council will vote on a contract with the Henrico County-based company on Monday night, July 10 (as expected, council approved the JTS contract by a 5-0 vote Monday night).

A clerk of the works oversees a construction project in the interest of the owner of the project.  The issue of cost versus the potential money saved through the direct oversight of a clerk of the works was the topic of a May 8 meeting of council’s committee on the police headquarters construction project.

JTS principal Ken Cordo explains the parameters of clerk of works duties and authority on a construction site in representation of owner interests on cost overruns. Photos/Roger Bianchini

Four bids received in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) were cited at between $189,000 and $340,000 at that committee meeting.  The option of negotiating the preferred company’s bid down was broached as the timeliest manner of trying to bring a contract in under the low bid amount.  Representing Council on the committee are Mayor Hollis Tharpe and Councilman Jacob Meza.  Also in attendance were Town Manager Joe Waltz and FRPD Captain Kevin Nicewarner.

Discussing the potential of getting a preferred contractor in at a lower price, Waltz told the committee, “We can bring vendors in and see what they can bring to the table.  It would be in their best interest to work with us.”

And apparently that negotiating strategy was successful to the tune of about $15,600.  Committee discussion indicated three of the four bids received were nearer the low-end bid of $189,000.

“Not to be the bearer of bad news, but construction projects don’t always go as planned … a clerk of the works is on site to keep it in line as possible,” Cordo told council at the July 3 work session.

Councilman William Sealock asked exactly how much authority a contracted clerk of the works has on site – “Can you stop construction?” he asked.  Cordo replied only if safety or some other what he termed “critical” issue was involved.  He elaborated that where contractual issues come into play, the clerk of the works does not have authority to initiate changes. – “That opens up a can of legal issues if you do that,” he said.

He added that a clerk of the works does “not authorize new expenditures of money or authorize architectural changes” but rather, works with the construction team on site to make sure change orders are “credible and cost reasonable”.

Above, architect’s rendering of front entrance of main building of new FRPD headquarters; below, aerial view of the two-building layout and parking area.

And on what is now forecast as a $7-million-plus construction project (including $2-million in site work), the Front Royal Town Council appears willing to gamble this $173,400 expenditure will pay off in at least $173,401 in project savings.  The total project cost is estimated at $9.3 million.  The new FRPD headquarters is slated for construction on Kendrick Lane, near the Monroe Avenue intersection, across the street from the Royal Phoenix/Avtex property.

The two-building design developed by Moseley Architects is designed to accommodate FRPD needs 25 years into the future.  The project design totals 21,600 square feet; with 14,600 of that comprising the main headquarters building.

FRPD is currently housed in the former Warren County Sheriff’s Office headquarters on Jackson Street at a rental cost to the County of $3,000 a month.  That September 2013 move increased the department’s square footage from 4,032 to 7,236 square feet.  However, the department has already outgrown that space.  FRPD’s Criminal Investigations Department is currently housed in a separate location on North Royal Avenue.