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March 26, 2001 The desire to expedite the seismic retrofit of the King County Courthouse received a boost from the Metropolitan King County Council after they agreed to waive the competitive bidding requirement on quake-related repairs. “This is an extraordinary circumstance,” said Budget and Fiscal Management Committee Vice Chair Larry Phillips. “While the building came out of last month’s earthquake in good shape, we need to start taking steps now to better prepare the facility for future use. Our employees and the public deserve no less.” The measure passed by the council waives the traditional competitive bidding process for contracts for repair and seismic work on the 87-year-old courthouse. The executive estimates the cost of the repairs at $5.3 million. The waiver expires on the completion of the projects. The proposal will also speed repairs by relocating the Automated Fingerprint Identification System office out of the courthouse while the work takes place. “It’s not overstating the case that the courthouse is the heart of county operations,” Phillips said. “The employees who work here, the people coming to use the services located here, and the citizens arriving for court cases and jury duty deserve to feel safe when they enter this building. This will help ensure that happens. – End – |