County awards center architect contract
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 16, 2015 1:46 PM
Goldsboro cannot effectively market land it owns on North Wayne Memorial Drive as the possible site for a hotel until interested developers are confident Wayne County will build an agriculture and convention center on adjoining property.
Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning cited that as one of the reasons the county needs to move along with its plans to build the $16.4 million center.
Commissioners Joe Daughtery and Wayne Aycock said they understand there are parties that have expressed an interest in the city's property.
"We need to move along so that the city can move," Aycock said.
To that end commissioners on Tuesday awarded a contract to HH Architecture of Raleigh to complete the design of the proposed Wayne County Agriculture and Convention Center.
They also authorized County Manager George Wood to prepare a request for qualifications for securing a construction manager at risk for the project.
A construction manager at risk provides construction management services and guarantees construction costs.
The company also provides services that may include preparation and coordination of bid packages, scheduling, value engineering, evaluation, pre-construction services and construction administration.
The company also works closely with the architect.
In order to speed up the process before the start of the holidays, commissioners agreed that instead of bringing the request for qualifications back to the full board that Wood could poll members of the Facilities Committee for comment before proceeding.
Wood said he would like to have the advertisement out before Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Commissioners would then appoint a committee or allow the Facilities Committee to review the companies that submit their qualifications and make a recommendation to the full board, he said.
The construction manager at risk needs to start work as soon as possible with the architect, commissioners said.
Just as importantly the process needs to move along so that Goldsboro can market its property for development of a hotel and possibly a restaurant, commissioners said.
It is expected to take 22 weeks to complete the design, six weeks for review and 70 weeks for construction.
Commissioner Bill Pate, chairman of the board's Agriculture Advisory Committee, said a groundbreaking could be held in early-to-mid summer.
The center will be located on a 12-acre site on North Wayne Memorial Drive just north of Wayne Community College.
Goldsboro is providing the land as part of an agreement with the county. An adjoining city-owned six acres remains as the site for a possible hotel and restaurant.
The property has not yet been deeded to the county and another survey is needed, Wood said.
"When we first started this project as you recall it was pretty much a straight line," Wood said. "As we have gotten into the design we have a slight 'S'-shaped road between the two (sites). Well, I have got to have a surveyor give us a 'S'-shaped demarcation there. We are in the process of getting that."
Once that is done Pate suggested the county have some sort of event on the site that may help the city move along on it plans.
"A restaurant or hotel is not going to commit until we commit," Aycock said. "If the commit to build, and then for some unknown reason we decide we are not going to build it, they are not going to commit."
Wood agreed.
"I wouldn't," he said.
"Commissioner Aycock's point is well taken because I understand there are interested parties, but they are not going to commit until we do," Commissioner Joe Daughtery said.
HH Architecture was hired initially this past June to design the first 35 percent of the project. The initial designs for the center already have been submitted to the county.
Commissioners last month instructed Wood to negotiate a contract with the firm for the full design.
The fee for basic services including contract administration is 8.25 percent of the final cost of the project, Wood said.
"For interim payments, we will use the architect's estimated costs, but will true up within 30 days of project completion on the actual construction cost," he said.
The county has set aside $4 million for the project. It also has applied for USDA loans/grants totaling $2.6 million.
Convergent Nonprofit Solutions is conducting a fundraising campaign for the project The county also plans to seek state and federal funding.