Development teams selected for Floyd County building projects

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·3 min read

Aug. 17—NEW ALBANY — The Floyd County Commissioners and New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority have selected partners for planned facility projects, including the development of a new government center on Grant Line Road and the renovation of the City-County Building.

On Tuesday, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve Floyd County Development, LLC, a team led by The Koetter Group, for the project to create the Floyd County Government and Life Center at the county-owned North Annex, located next to Sam Peden Community Park.

The New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority's board of directors also unanimously approved an agreement with Floyd County Judicial Project Partners, LLC, a team led by Garmong Construction Services, for the remodel of the City-County Building into the Floyd County Judicial Center. The authority owns the downtown New Albany building on Hauss Square.

Both the Floyd County Commissioners and the Building Authority are planning public-private partnerships for the two projects, which involves build — operate — transfer (BOT) agreements. The two development teams were recommended by separate review committees comprised of county officials and community members.

Floyd County is planning to build a government center at the 17-acre North Annex that would house the government's administrative offices, but also include developing space for other local agencies. The county is considering partnering with the Floyd County Library for a library branch and LifeSpan Resources for a senior center.

The planned transformation of the City-County Building will involve significant renovation of the 1961 building, including increased space for courtrooms and criminal justice offices.

Floyd County Commissioner Tim Kamer notes that the North Annex and judicial center projects are two separate projects, but they will both go through the same process with BOT agreements, allowing the public entities to contract with private partners on the design and price of the project.

The next steps will involve creating a scoping agreement for the projects, and the partners will look into project costs, financing and design.

The county and New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority will work with development teams to identify needs and wants for the projects and make "data-driven decisions" to determine plans, Kamer said.

"Both of these partners I feel wholeheartedly are the right ones to drive this home and really add value for the next 50 to 100 years," he said.

Shawn Carruthers, president of the Floyd County Commissioners, was impressed with the Koetter Group team's proposal on the financing and management of the project, saying the team "edged out" the other two submissions in those aspects.

Scott Stewart, board member with the building authority, said public-private partnerships are popular in Indiana due to the "maximum flexibility in choosing the right team to partner with to help quantify a project and see it through to completion and beyond."

For the judicial center project, the Garmong team showed a "deep level of experience in projects of this kind," Stewart said, and he describes the Koetter Group as a "prominent local contractor" with experience in "creative financing and project management."

Stewart said while the public and private entities are agreeing to work together, the projects do not entail financial commitments for Floyd County at this point.

He said as the review committee considered proposals for the judicial center project, it was a "competitive effort" involving the assessment of four teams representing 21 companies.

For the North Annex project, the committee reviewed three teams representing 19 companies.

Several Floyd County residents voiced their concerns about the planned Grant Line Road project during a public hearing at Tuesday's commissioners meeting. Georgetown resident Dale Mann said he sees the project as more of a "want" than a "need," and he believes it should be put on a referendum to ask taxpayers whether they would be willing to pay for a new government building.

Joe Kraft, a Floyd County resident, said he is concerned about moving county offices away from downtown New Albany, particularly with the Floyd County Sheriff's Department and the judicial center remaining downtown.