File photoLauderdale County Courthouse.

Five architectural firms are interested in working on the Lauderdale County Courthouse project.

Representatives of these firms on Thursday morning met with a representative from Yates Construction and the county’s purchasing clerk to submit requests for proposal.

County Administrator Chris Lafferty said this will give the board of supervisors an idea of each firm’s qualifications, past experience and fee formulas.

“The thing with these architects is a lot of them have pretty much the same experience and the same architectural qualifications,” Lafferty said. “The board is looking for who they deem will do the best job and produce the best value for the taxpayer.”

The firms who submitted requests were LPK Architects, PA from Meridian; Barlow-Eddy-Jenkins, PA from Jackson; JH&H Architects, PA from Flowood; Belinda Stewart Architects, PA from Eupora; and Starkville-based Shafer Zahner Zahner, PLLC.

Lafferty said it will take several months for the board to choose a candidate. The general consensus, he said, is to have “a good idea of the path forward by Christmas.”

“It’s a long process, and they want to make sure they do it right and they choose the right person,” he said. “It’s a decision they don’t take lightly and a decision they don’t want to jump into.”

The board has worked with Stewart on this project before, when her firm delivered a 66-page feasibility study in December 2016.

Bob Luke of LPK, who discussed the courthouse with the board at a previous work session, is favored among at least one supervisor.

“Personally, Bob Luke is local,” District 1 Supervisor Jonathan Wells said. “He has done work on buildings downtown like the Riley Center, and personally, I feel he’s qualified.” 

Lafferty said in a previous report that “nothing is off the table” in the hiring process.

Last month, the board voted to hire Philadelphia-based Yates Construction as its construction manager for the courthouse project.

The vote authorized a construction manager agreement for “phase-one tasks,” which would include potential renovation of the courthouse, construction of an addition to the building and acquisition and/or renovation of other buildings and properties for use as a courthouse or an additional annex. Yates’ fee is not to exceed $60,000 for this agreement.

According to the proposal, services would include assisting in procurement of architects; assessing the courthouse feasibility study, operations, unknown variables and constraints; and assisting the architect with a “high-level courthouse program,” which would include selecting a location, a budget, phasing and a master schedule.

Concerns such as parking, jail relocation and property redevelopment would also be addressed.

Yates would also give recommendations on the temporary relocation of courthouse staff to locations such as the old federal courthouse and the annex building. Lastly, Yates would provide recommendations for direction with the project.