Real Briefings
The Whatcom County Council's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee convened at 1:05 PM on January 28, 2025, for a brief but substantive session focused entirely on the county's ambitious justice center project. Committee Chair Barry Buchanan presided over the hybrid meeting with fellow committee members Tyler Byrd and Jon Scanlon present, while other council members including Kaylee Galloway and Todd Donovan joined as observers.
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## Meeting Overview
The Whatcom County Council's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee convened at 1:05 PM on January 28, 2025, for a brief but substantive session focused entirely on the county's ambitious justice center project. Committee Chair Barry Buchanan presided over the hybrid meeting with fellow committee members Tyler Byrd and Jon Scanlon present, while other council members including Kaylee Galloway and Todd Donovan joined as observers.
The sole agenda item was a presentation about the scope of work and contract for an owner's representative for the justice center—a critical step in advancing what represents one of the most significant capital projects in Whatcom County's recent history. With an original budget of $155 million and a complex mandate that includes both jail facilities and behavioral health services, the project has reached a point where outside expertise is essential to navigate the technical and political challenges ahead.
## Selecting Expert Guidance for a Complex Project
Rob Ney, the county's Facilities Director, opened the presentation by explaining why the county needed to break from its usual practice of handling project management internally. "Due to the size and the scale and complexity of a project like this, nobody on…
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### Meeting Overview
The Whatcom County Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee met on January 28, 2025, to discuss hiring an owner's representative for the Justice Center project. The committee received presentations from county staff and STV, the selected firm, about the scope of work for managing this complex jail and behavioral health facility construction project.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Owner's Representative:** An outside expert hired to represent the county's interests and manage a construction project when the project is too complex or specialized for regular county staff to handle alone.
**Progressive Design Build:** A construction delivery method where the contractor is brought onto the team early in the design process, rather than after design is complete, allowing for better collaboration and cost control.
**Project Review Committee (PRC):** A state-level committee that must approve alternative delivery methods for public construction projects that differ from the standard design-bid-build process.
**Interlocal Agreement:** The legal agreement between Whatcom County and participating cities that governs how sales tax revenue from the justice levy will be used and distributed.
**Behavioral Health Care Center:** A co-located facility planned alongside the jail that would provide prosecutorial diversion services for low-level felonies as an alternative to incarceration.
**Prosecutorial Diversion:** A program that allows eligible offenders to receive treatment or services instead of going to jail, typically for non-violent or low-level crimes.
**Bondability:** The financial capacity of a contractor to obtain the performance and payment bonds required for large public construction projects.
**Sales Tax Levy:** The voter-approved sales tax increase that funds the Justice Center project, which began collecting revenue in July 2024.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Barry Buchanan | Committee Chair |
| Tyler Byrd | Council Member, Committee Member |
| Jon Scanlon | Council Member, Committee Member |
| Kayla Schott-Bresler | Executive's Office |
| Rob Ney | Administrative Services Department, Facilities Director |
| Ashley McClaran | STV, Principal-In-Charge/Engagement Lead |
| Adam Johnson | STV, Project Manager |
| Chris Herb | County Special Projects Manager (absent but mentioned) |
### Background Context
This Justice Center project represents one of the largest and most complex construction projects Whatcom County has ever undertaken. The original budget was $155 million, funded through a v…
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