Downey & Scott's involvement in this project started at the early concept design level in 2009. We acted as the owner’s program manager for both the design and construction of this facility.
As overall construction managers, we were responsible for ensuring strict adherence to owner specifications, schedule and budget, onsite inspections, and documentation, along with regular reporting to the City Manager and the City Council as to the status of this project. Our firm also performed enhanced building system commissioning for this entire project.
Construction started in March 2012, which included the interim J&DR Court Facility and demolition of two existing buildings within the footprint of this new 78,000 GSF facility. After demolition of the two existing buildings, our firm scheduled and coordinated both phase 1 and phase 2 archeological study which yielded significant Civil War findings dating back to the first battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. At our insistence and due diligence, two months were built into the schedule to allow a complete archeological investigation of the site. After, we had the design team incorporate an interpretive display of the significant archeological findings into the building. The national and international press reported on this effort.
The project required sheeting and shoring on two active downtown city streets, and excavation of approximately 20 feet deep of half a city block. This project concluded on time and under budget in part due to our value engineering effort, with zero change orders, and no claims.
