Teton County gets construction schedule and budget update for new Justice Center; demolition slated for February
October 06, 2025 | Teton County, Wyoming
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Teton County commissioners received a monthly progress report on the new Justice Center on Oct. 6, 2025, including a schedule for permitting, demolition and modular offices and an update on construction estimates.
Project manager Jason Birning of Birning Project Management, partnering with Wimber, told the board the design development phase is complete and the team has incorporated demolition of the Clifford Hansen courthouse and related sewer work into the development plan submitted to the Town of Jackson. “We have submitted a demolition permit, for both buildings, the main, existing courthouse and the Clifford Hansen courthouse, in preparation for a start of demolition in February,” Birning said.
The design review process with the town is set to begin the week of the report, with planning and zoning and town council reviews expected in November and December. Construction drawings will continue through December; the team aims to submit the building permit in January and present a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract in January for a February construction start.
Tom Ferens of Wimber said subcontract early onboarding and updated cost estimates put the project within roughly 1.5% of the construction budget. “We are basically within about 1 and a half percent of our construction budget,” Ferens said, noting contingencies and alternates remain. The third courtroom is a major alternate; its cost is included in the current estimate and could be removed to reduce scope and cost.
Birning and Ferens described a sequence of permits and temporary site logistics: grading and shoring permits to enable February work, temporary modular offices to be moved to the fairgrounds for site grading, and a mid-November target for a building permit on the modulars so the contractor can begin work. DPR Construction has submitted early bid packages and will prepare the GMP for the board in January.
The project team also reported a shift in the anticipated need for gap financing. After re-evaluating cash flow assumptions, they said the county can postpone seeking gap financing by roughly six months; the county now expects to need gap financing in 2028 rather than late 2027. Ferens said the team will continue monthly cash-flow reviews with the treasurer and clerk.
No formal actions were taken on the Justice Center at the Oct. 6 meeting. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about demolition timing, use of town facilities for municipal court while work proceeds, and whether courtroom furnishings purchased for modular use could be repurposed in the finished facility.
The project team said they will return with construction contracts and the GMP in the coming months for board approval.
Project manager Jason Birning of Birning Project Management, partnering with Wimber, told the board the design development phase is complete and the team has incorporated demolition of the Clifford Hansen courthouse and related sewer work into the development plan submitted to the Town of Jackson. “We have submitted a demolition permit, for both buildings, the main, existing courthouse and the Clifford Hansen courthouse, in preparation for a start of demolition in February,” Birning said.
The design review process with the town is set to begin the week of the report, with planning and zoning and town council reviews expected in November and December. Construction drawings will continue through December; the team aims to submit the building permit in January and present a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract in January for a February construction start.
Tom Ferens of Wimber said subcontract early onboarding and updated cost estimates put the project within roughly 1.5% of the construction budget. “We are basically within about 1 and a half percent of our construction budget,” Ferens said, noting contingencies and alternates remain. The third courtroom is a major alternate; its cost is included in the current estimate and could be removed to reduce scope and cost.
Birning and Ferens described a sequence of permits and temporary site logistics: grading and shoring permits to enable February work, temporary modular offices to be moved to the fairgrounds for site grading, and a mid-November target for a building permit on the modulars so the contractor can begin work. DPR Construction has submitted early bid packages and will prepare the GMP for the board in January.
The project team also reported a shift in the anticipated need for gap financing. After re-evaluating cash flow assumptions, they said the county can postpone seeking gap financing by roughly six months; the county now expects to need gap financing in 2028 rather than late 2027. Ferens said the team will continue monthly cash-flow reviews with the treasurer and clerk.
No formal actions were taken on the Justice Center at the Oct. 6 meeting. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about demolition timing, use of town facilities for municipal court while work proceeds, and whether courtroom furnishings purchased for modular use could be repurposed in the finished facility.
The project team said they will return with construction contracts and the GMP in the coming months for board approval.
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