Fentress Studios selected for justice center full design services
Published on May 06, 2026
Fentress Studios was selected by the Weld County Board of Commissioners to provide full design and engineering services for the new Weld County Justice Center.
The selection followed a competitive, multi-stage Request for Proposal process that included two rounds of evaluation. An initial committee reviewed six proposals (based on criteria such as scope, critical issues, project control, cost, schedule, and team qualifications) and shortlisted three firms for interviews. The board of commissioners then evaluated the finalists based on work approach, project team qualifications, quality of presentation, and responses during the question-and-answer session.
Fentress Studios was determined to provide the best value, and the board approved a contract today for the amount of $19,237,130, which includes full design and engineering services.
Fentress Studios was initially hired by the county in early March 2026 to outline conceptual programming and validation as well as to develop concept drawings of what a new Weld County Justice Center would require to effectively and efficiently handle the needs of the 19th Judicial District and the county.
The firm spent two months meeting with architects, discussing needs with judicial staff, reviewing documents regarding space and cost scenarios, and bringing forward financial considerations for multiple different justice center options.
Based on the information Fentress provided to the board, commissioners approved a concept for a six-story building and adjoining justice center parking garage for jurors and court staff. The new justice center building, to be built on what the county refers to as the West Block (where the Methodist Church now stands at 9th Street and 10th Avenue), will initially have four-and-one-half finished floors containing courtrooms, with the option to build additional courtrooms in the unfinished floors as the need arises.
The design option Fentress Studios presented also included an available space for a future building to be constructed on the site at a later date should it be necessary to keep up with future growth.
In 2025, the board was informed that the 19th Judicial District would be getting a new judge and may get more judges within the next several years. While the county has one courtroom available for one new judge, it does not have room for additional judges within its current court buildings, prompting the need to explore options for a new justice center.
Investing in community and building for tomorrow, making the idea a reality
The justice center project will be the largest financial responsibility the county has taken on in its 165-year history. Being mindful of the Weld County Home Rule Charter, specifically Section 14-8, the board has identified three separate projects that will allow this plan to move forward in compliance with the charter.
The board has determined the three projects will be: the justice center parking garage; the justice center "core and shell," which is the exterior portion and the infrastructure of the building; and tenant improvements, which will be the internal finishing of the building.
Each of these projects allows for "off ramps" should they be needed by future boards in response to economic conditions or other county influences. These projects also provide different opportunities for bidding on each project in order to obtain the best price for taxpayers.
The Home Rule Charter (Section 14-8) allows for a capital expenditure of any one project that uses taxpayer funds if it is less than the ad valorem taxation equal to a three mill levy for three years, or approximately $177 million per project.
Staying within the guidelines of the charter, the county has identified the three distinct projects, with the conclusion of each project allowing future boards of commissioners the opportunity to reexamine or adjust project needs and progress as necessary. This also allows flexibility for future boards to be able to react responsibly to economic conditions and demands that may arise. Each project allows the county to have a completed asset and is the same methodology used for county projects in the past, including the building of Weld County Road 49 in 2017, and the Weld County Jail expansion from 2019 to 2021.
By identifying these projects, the board continues to use a process that has served the county taxpayers well in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
New county website will host project updates and video highlights
In response to the interest and excitement regarding the Weld County Justice Center Project, the county is committed to keeping interested residents informed through its new website: https://wcjc.weld.gov.
News releases and informational updates will be hosted on the new website, which will also contain frequently asked questions about the project and videos highlighting construction and project progress.
The website also contains a link to the Courthouse 100th Anniversary, hosted on the history.weld.gov website for those interested in the building of what was referred to as the “Jewel of the Plains.”
Updates to the page will be highlighted on the county’s social media platforms, and soon, the public will be able to sign up to receive project information directly to their email inbox. Stay tuned for more information about this.