James City County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday night to begin construction on the new government center and library annex, approving up to $48 million in additional work.
The contract with Henderson/Gilbane will cover the cost of pre-ordering steel, concrete work, initial plumbing and HVAC and electrical work on the facility at 5231 Longhill Road. Separately, the supervisors approved hiring McDonough Bolyard Peck to manage construction for $1.8 million.
The final cost of the entire complex will not be known until next spring, County Administrator Scott Stevens said.
The contractor is bound not to exceed $179 million to build the center. But as the county finalizes decisions on specifics of the center the final cost might be lower.
James City County had already committed $36 million for design and site preparation work on the government center. With Tuesday’s vote, the county has already committed $85.8 million toward the work.
Chris Henderson, a longtime opponent of the project, c…