Brazos County moves forward with $59M contract tied to courthouse annex project

The new annex will include four floors of office space and a multilevel parking structure, with public parking on the ground level and secured access above. Plans call for more than 50 offices dedicated to probation officers. Other offices will be for deputies, attorneys and other facilities.

What you need to know

Next steps for the project in April include issuing a notice to proceed, reviewing a construction management proposal and holding a groundbreaking ceremony April 21. Construction is expected to take about two years.

The contract for the project was approved in a 4-1 vote following public comments raising concerns about approving a maximum price before final designs are complete. However, county commissioners said they were confident in the process.

Items worth mentioning

In a separate but related item, commissioners approved a $73,000 increase to the design services budget for the Brazos County Administration Building, bringing the total to about $1.76 million. The adjustment will cover additional engineering work and finalize project changes.

Beyond the annex project, commissioners approved several other items, including an economic development agreement with Messer LLC and some infrastructure budget adjustments. A proposed land purchase for a new fire station was pushed to a future meeting due to uncertainty on property boundaries and platting.

Looking ahead

Commissioners also received a presentation from the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District, noting developmental pressures and possible impacts from large-scale projects. Officials hope to host a public meeting in the future to help residents understand groundwater usage and long-term supply in Brazos County.