Corte Madera Town Hall project delayed by snags

The rebuilding of Corte Madera Town Hall has hit a few speed bumps driving up costs, but officials say the project is still within budget.

After contingency adjustments, unanimously approved in April, the project cost has increased by $1 million to $13.47 million. The project site is at 300 Tamalpais Drive.

“The original construction would have ended in August,” said R.J. Suokko, Corte Madera’s director of public works. “Now, we’re looking to end in December.”

Several unforeseen obstacles delayed the demolition and required a redesign of the foundation of the new building, Suokko said.

The most substantial discovery, he said, was that a retaining wall the town planned to keep was lacking in steel reinforcement and structural footing. It caused complications in how the crew demolished the old building and required the team to figure out how to shore up the site for the new Town Hall.

The project is being funded with $7.6 million in bond financing, $3.5 million from the general fund and $1.37 million from the town’s sales tax fund. That included a $1.08 million construction contingency.

The town also earmarked an additional $1 million from its equipment and technology fund to pay for computers and furniture.

The construction contingency was able to absorb the costs associated for the labor, but there were still about $285,000 in design and construction management services that were unaccounted for, according to a staff report dated April 13.

On April 18, the Town Council approved additional contingencies of $102,740 to Kappe Architects for architectural and engineering services and $183,700 to Mack 5 for construction management services.

The town also approved another $225,000 as construction contingency for audio-video and security systems.

All of the money was drawn from the equipment and technology fund, leaving a balance of $488,560 that will still be used to furnish and outfit the new offices.

At the April 18 meeting, Councilmember Eli Beckman asked staff if the construction contingency had been fully used.

Suokko said about $625,000 had been used. He said drawing from the equipment and technology fund for these projects would provide a significant buffer.

The Town Hall project has been years in the making. The project calls for a two-story, 11,000-square-foot building with council chambers to accommodate 95 people. The project will include options for zero net energy and zero net carbon and will include a photovoltaic solar and battery backup system.

The project was upgraded from a “risk category” 2 to a category 3 building, which requires additional seismic reinforcement. The upgrade cost $15,000 in additional design fees and is estimated to add about $50,000 to construction costs.

Exterior work will include modified slopes for the driveway and accessibility improvements. There will also be a plaza area built around the protected redwood trees.

Temporary town offices are at 240 Tamal Vista Blvd.