Saline County moves ahead with plan to make 651 E. Prescott the new health department home, other county offices

Saline County is moving ahead with plans to renovate the building at 651 E. Prescott Avenue into the future home of the Saline County Health Department. The Saline County Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 10, approved agreements with the project's architect and construction manager.

County documents say the building will also house several other county departments, letting the county consolidate operations and make more efficient use of existing facilities. County Administrator Matt Stiles said the building would also house the Administrative Resource Center, Emergency Management and Development Services.

The commission approved an architectural design agreement with Tessere (RFA 2026-122). The first two phases cost $94,710: $21,287 for schematic design and $73,423 for design development. Construction documents would cost 3% of the construction cost and construction administration 1.1%. When the county selected Tessere in May, staff said the first two phases would be paid from the Health Department Capital Improvement Fund, which then had a balance of $646,411.

Commissioners also approved a construction manager at risk agreement with Hutton (RFA 2026-121). Hutton will provide preconstruction services at no charge and work with Tessere and county staff to develop a guaranteed maximum price. Once construction begins, the county would pay general conditions costs estimated at $32,480 a month plus a construction management fee of 4% to 8% of total project cost, with a higher percentage for a lower-priced project.

No construction budget has been set. The guaranteed maximum price will come back to the commission for a separate vote before construction is authorized. The design agreement targets construction documents for February through April 2027.

The county released a request for proposals to design a new health department at the Prescott property on March 2. Nine firms responded, and a committee that included Stiles and Health Department Director Jason Tiller recommended Tessere.

Separately, the commission approved a three-year extension of Hutton's project management agreement for the livestock and expo center (RFA 2026-120).