This past spring I visited the Milwaukee County Safety Building, 821 W. State St., for a tour of its 450,000 square feet of courtrooms, offices, corridors and empty jail cells and wrote this in-depth look at its history and its current state.
That story outlined the many reasons why the County has been working toward a replacement building for a long time, via its Investing in Justice: Courthouse Complex plan.
On Monday, County Executive David Crowley announced a step forward in that effort: the naming of a joint venture between Gilbane and JP Cullen as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) for the project.
CMARs typically bid for a construction project at a fixed cost and are then responsible for any cost overruns on the project.
According to Monday’s announcement, Gilbane | Cullen will participate in preconstruction and conceptual design efforts to start the project.
The two firms are no strangers to County building projects, having served as CMARs for the new Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center, Milwaukee County Zoo’s penguin and rhino enclosures, and Milwaukee County Secure Residential Care Center for Children and Youth.
In this phase the team also includes Greenfire Management Services, Dairyland Electric, Belonger Corporation, Abaxent, LLC and P3 Development Group, LLC.
“As we look to the future of Milwaukee County’s Courthouse Complex, it’s clear that removing the Public Safety Building and investing in modern, sustainable facilities is essential for delivering positive outcomes for all who interact with our justice system,” said Crowley.
“Partnering with Gilbane | Cullen will allow Milwaukee County to develop a state-of-the-art facility that meets the needs of our community today while preparing for the next 100 years. I’m looking forward to this partnership creating construction jobs and delivering results for Milwaukee County residents.”
Construction could begin as early as 2027 and is expected to run through 2031 or 2032.
Gilbane | Cullen are collaborating with Milwaukee County leaders, project design consultants AECOM, NORR and Continuum – who were named in January – on conceptual design efforts, which have already begun.
"Detailed evaluation in the preconstruction phase is absolutely crucial, as it sets the stage for the entire project's success and identifies potential issues early on to ensure that plans are accurate, cost-effective, and aligned with the project’s vision,” said Alicia Dupies, Vice President and Milwaukee Business Leader, Gilbane Building.
Our team’s proven track record working with Milwaukee County provides a first-hand understanding of the County’s processes and expectations. We will bring this knowledge and experience to the Investing In Justice: Courthouse Complex project,” added Shannon Metoxen, Vice President and Division Manager, JP Cullen.
“Gilbane and Cullen are deeply rooted in Milwaukee County. Whether our team grew up here or works in our local offices, each member has a personal connection to the community. They feel a personal responsibility for the success of this project and will be here long after its completion.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.