An artist's rendition of the courthouse with the addition, above, is compared with the existing courthouse on East Basin Avenue, below. Advertisement

TONOPAH -- The same company that built the Pahrump Community Library and Floyd Elementary School was hired to build an addition onto the Nye County Courthouse Tuesday.

But as Nye County Manager Ron Williams said, there's good news and there's bad news.

The price tag for the addition presented by the design-build team of B&H Construction/JVC Architects will be almost $4.3 million, which is $2.2 million over budget.

Commissioners selected three firms as finalists for the job. Korte Construction bid only $2.95 million, but Williams said Korte lost five points for not having a certificate of eligibility from the state public works board. B&H/JVC finished with 72.9 points to 71.4 points for Korte.

Korte also outlined only a 12,943-square-foot addition with a 2,040-square-foot remodel, Williams said. B&H/JVC presented plans for a 16,400-square-foot addition and 4,400-square-foot remodel. The other bidder was RAFI/Oakview, which bid $4.7 million, with an 18,773-square-foot addition and 2,558-square-foot remodel.

The project calls for a new justice courtroom, a new district courtroom, a 5,000-square-foot sheriffs' evidence locker and additional space for the district attorney's offices.

The plan will allow a secure walkway so prisoners going from jail to court don't have to mingle with courthouse visitors.

"We have about $2.02 million set in there to pay for this with, we did hold back 15 percent -- 10 percent of it is for change orders that are probably going to happen with you, 5 percent that's the maximum we will pay Charles Abbott and Associates for their construction work," Williams said.

Abbott and Associates, the contracted county building and safety department, will be the project managers.

The county will take the extra $2.2 million from a special projects account from the payment equal to taxes collected for the Yucca Mountain project.

The addition is expected to be completed by June 30.

Commissioners also approved a plan to divide the old assessor's office into a second justice court and a second district court. A second Pahrump justice will take office in January, while the other district courtroom would allow 5th District Department 1 Judge John Davis to hold trial while visiting from Tonopah.

Commissioner Joni Eastley asked, "If the temporary courtroom is sufficient for our needs, why would we move forward with the building expansion?"

"It's a temporary measure, it's not a 12-year situation," Pahrump Justice of the Peace Tina Brisebill said. "We cannot share one courtroom, the schedules are too sporadic, they're too full to even think of that. The second courtroom is needed and it's needed Jan. 1, it's not needed in July."

Incoming County Manager Rick Osborne said, "What we plan in that space is just a temporary measure, like sticking bubble gum in a leaking dike."

Osborne said he hasn't seen any formal plans for the temporary courtrooms.

"The drawing was an informal one. It's not much different than what you would draw on a napkin in a restaurant," he said.

Nye County Facilities Manager Bob Jones said it wouldn't take much money -- perhaps $5,000 -- to remodel the old assessor's office.