Teton commissioners approve $326K design deal for Adams Canyon coroner facility

Teton County’s Board of County Commissioners voted March 3 to approve a $326,248 architectural services contract with Plan One/Architects for design of a new coroner’s facility on county property at Adams Canyon. Staff said the building is anticipated to be roughly 3,000–3,500 square feet (about 3,100 gross square feet in the draft contract), with the county expecting to use a construction manager at risk (CMAR) delivery method. (Coroner’s Facility Project Staff Report and Attachments Packet)

The staff report laid out a three-year schedule for the professional services: design from February–September 2026; entitlements/permitting from October 2026–January 2027; bidding from December 2026–February 2027; and construction projected March–December 2027. The design contract is similarly spread across fiscal years: $113,437 (FY26), $162,373 (FY27) and $50,437 (FY28). (Coroner’s Facility Project Staff Report and Attachments Packet)

Alongside the architect contract, staff flagged that the county is already carrying other project management costs and expects additional ones. Wember’s owner’s-representative work includes a prior feasibility study cost of $30,333 and a total project fee of $270,000 through bidding/permitting, with $175,000 listed as currently unfunded; staff also anticipated another $50,000–$75,000 in soft costs during FY26 (survey, geotech) and $60,000–$80,000 in FY27 (testing, commissioning). For construction itself, staff described the estimate as conservative and preliminary, pegging costs near $5 million while noting the final number will depend on the architect’s design. (Coroner’s Facility Project Staff Report and Attachments Packet)