Can Proposed Convention Hall Design Be Built for $10.5 million?

CAPE MAY – Construction Manager Steve Markley, of Hunter Roberts, questioned if proposed designs for a new Convention Hall could actually be built within the budget of $10.5 million.
The overall budget including contingencies is $10.5 million. Markley, at a Weds., Aug. 25 Convention Hall Project Team meeting, said it was his primary job and focus to make sure the project stayed within its budget.
He said the starting point was a 32,000 square foot building with the new design reduced to 20,000 square feet.
“In order to do 20,000 square feet, you’re still going to have a hall, and that hall has to be 25 feet high,” said Marley. “In the middle of everything else you’re going to do here, regardless, you have a 25 foot high box.”
He said the design puts other items around the big hall that are one story in height. Markley said one story is about 14 feet high but for the building to be in proportion, it would have added height to match the big hall, in part, to hide air conditioning units on the roof.
He said some of the design items still suggested a 32,000 square foot building.
“The items we need to remove in order to be at $10.5 million we’re struggling with when we are trying basically match this box, which is a two story space, with one story space all around it,” said Markley.
He said the same situation existed with the lobby which was not reduced in height in new plans and was the same as 32,000 square foot plans. Marley said the design takes off the second floor but adds façade.
“It’s almost like we really haven’t removed those things from the 32,000 square foot scheme, so I’m concerned with what we are doing here, we are not getting to the $10.5 million number,” he said.
Architect Martin Kimmel, who designed the plans, said the roof line across the front of the building, over the retail and administrative space, was seven feet lower from the larger, earlier plan. He said the design needed to screen air conditioning units from view and make the building “feel taller than it is.”
Markley said 14 feet height on the single story could be reduced to 12 or 13 feet as a compromise, if needed. He said he needed to do a cost estimate which would accurately predict the costs. Markley said he was seeing the amended design for the first time at the meeting.
“Every time I see the two story façade, I start thinking what did we actually take out of this thing?” he said.
Kimmel said Markley could not cost estimate the building until the team narrowed multiple choices to a single design.
“If there’s a problem, then we finesse it as required to erase the problem,” said Kimmel.
Team member Al Beale said what he heard at the meeting put him “on alarm, that the effort we have applied at this point, we may be looking to go back and pull things out and that was not my intent.”
Markley said the process was not easy and every job went in a similar fashion. He said they needed to look at pile sizes and layouts and configurations of mechanical equipment.
Markley said he would do cost estimates on a design of a lobby with both a glass wall and a solid wall. He said a glass wall could run $80 a foot while a solid wall would cost $50 a foot.
Kimmel said a glass wall could cost $80,000 to $90,000 more than a solid wall. He said spending that extra amount over the 50 year life of the building and having a view of the beach, may be worthwhile.
Markley said the team had until September 15 to finalize its design. He said he needed two weeks to put numbers together on costs and did not see a reason to meet on Sept. 1.
At a Sept. 8 meeting, options to change the cost of the building, if needed, would be addressed, he said.
Deputy Mayor Jack Wichterman said he did not want City Council to face the situation the previous council faced with all construction bids coming in over budget. He said maintenance costs should also be estimated for the new building as well as seeing a business plan.