The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors spent over an hour discussing the law enforcement center addition contracts with Shive Hattery Architecture and Engineering and project manager the Samuels Group.

County Attorney Brenna Bird had reviewed both agreements and presented questions such as whether the parking lot portion of the project should be included in the architecture contract, what amendment process the Board will have with the contracts, and what the purpose is of a geotechnical engineer. Architect Mike Lewis explained the necessity for this component, “We are dependent on the geotechnical engineer, the whole project is, on their recommendations for what these soil conditions tell us. So if the soil conditions come back and say the bearing capacity of the soil is insufficient they’re going to make a recommendation on what we need to do. Then our structural engineer is going to design the foundations based on their professional opinion recommendation.”

The Board directed Sid Samuels of the Samuels Group to add language that the County would seek geotechnical engineer bids. Both stakeholders are expected to bring their revised agreements back to the Supervisors next week. The County is building a new jail onto their courthouse and improving the drainage of the courthouse parking lot, funded by an $8.7 million bond referendum that passed with over 80% of the vote on March 3rd.