ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
The Board of Supervisors gave thumbs-up Tuesday to a contract for an addition to the Franklin County courthouse.
In December, the board - with three outgoing supervisors voting in the majority - approved a $1.37 million contract with Martin Bros. Contractors of Roanoke to build the addition, which will house the county's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and provide office and storage space.
When three new board members started their terms at the Jan. 2 meeting, Supervisor Hubert Quinn - who voted against the contract in December - made a motion to hold up the contract for 30 days for further discussion. Quinn's motion was approved without debate.
Tuesday, the board revisited the issue.
The main concern of several board members is the project's cost: Martin Bros.' $1.37 million bid is $500,000 more than initial estimates given to the board by an architectural firm months ago.
Dick Hughes, a representative of the architect hired by the county, Hughes Associates of Roanoke, told the board the cost grew for several reasons.
With the state testing a new "family" court system to take care of divorces, custody cases and other such matters, plans were included in the Franklin County court addition for those facilities.
And, because of other needs specified by county employees, the size of the two-floor addition went from 6,200 to 10,200 square feet, he said.
Board members then fired a number of questions at Hughes, including how much it would cost to scrap the Martin Bros. contract and build a free-standing building somewhere near the courthouse.
Hughes said a separate building is not feasible, because the county, in all likelihood, would have to buy land in addition to paying for construction.
The board took no new action on the court addition, which means the contract with Martin Bros. is set to be signed by county officials.
Martin Bros. extended its bid through Feb. 14; the 30-day period specified in Quinn's motion ends Feb. 2.
After the meeting, Supervisor Gus Forry said he would have challenged a vote to kill the Martin Bros. contract.
Forry said the December board action represented an oral contract, and that Martin Bros. could sue the county if the commitment were broken.
Board Chairman Wayne Angell maintains that action taken during one board term cannot be forced on the term of another unless it involves an agreement that's already been set in motion.
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