The official grand opening of the Lea County Judicial Complex is happening this Friday, December 17, at 10:00 am. The entire community is invited to attend this special ribbon cutting/open house event. A welcoming reception will immediately follow the ceremony.
The location of the new 93,000 square foot judicial complex is 100 North Love Street in Lovington.
The new facility has been long in coming, fraught with delays and hurdles to overcome during its construction.
The original contract (PDF) for the construction of the complex, dated December 7, 2016, is between Lea County and HB Construction Inc of Albuquerque. The price tag stated in the contract is $30,279,300 and allows for both additions and deductions according to the terms of the contract.
Unfortunately, problems evolved with HB Construction, and on Saturday, October 12, 2019 Lea County terminated its contract with HB. According to Lea County Manager Mike Gallagher, the county had considered HB Construction in default for some time before terminating its contract. The project’s architect RMKM Architecture P.C. of Albuquerque then took the necessary steps to certify that grounds existed for Lea County to declare HB in default.
Naturally, construction ground to a halt, and legal negotiations were the work of the day rather than the building of the complex. Gallagher and county officials stood fast that the facility would be finished as planned. He said, “Please know the county expects nothing less than the building that the county agreed to pay for, a building that is safe, a building that is functional and a building that will appropriately serve the residents of Lea County.”
A lawsuit was filed, injunctions and restraining orders were ordered, and finally HB Construction dismissed its lawsuit and all associated motions. With HB out of the picture, steps could be taken to complete the project.
According to Gallagher, the original contract with HB Construction required the execution of a bond in the approximate amount of the project’s cost. Part of the goal of the bond was to insure the facility’s completion in the case of default by the contractor. Fortunately Lea County had the foresight to plan for problems.
The county had paid HB Construction approximately $28 million before HB walked away, leaving more than $2 million to complete the project. Still, time was ticking and the much needed new judicial complex was still unfinished. After all, the need for an expanded facility to end overcrowding and provide more space has been paramount for years.
Gallagher estimated that after construction resumed, completion would be in about six months. Chairwoman of the Lea County Board of Commissioners Rebecca Long also projected that a period of six months would be needed to realize the project’s final completion. Chairwoman Long has been vocal about expressing her dismay and frustration about the project.
Hopefully, struggles will be forgotten and the community will move forward excited about the county’s new state-of-the-art judicial facility when the ribbon is cut and its doors are opened to all on Friday morning. It will be most interesting to learn what insight county officials and state and local dignitaries have to say about the success of the project at the ceremony. Remember all are invited to join in and be involved in this historic event for Lea County.
