The Moore County Commissioners discussed the new courthouse being built in Carthage during their yearly budget work session on Feb. 24 at the Moore County Senior Enrichment Center.
Project bids for the new courthouse construction are to begin in April. The estimated cost is $35 million, according to Capital Projects Manager Rich Smith. Architect Dan Mace of Moseley Architects said 99% of the construction documents are ready for review. The main reviewers are with the North Carolina Department of Insurance and court administrators. Jason Hopkins of Moseley Architects is the architect for the courthouse.
The next phase is gathering comments and implementing them into the plans.
The limited parking requires strategy. The new courthouse will have a secure parking area for judges under the building.
The courthouse will feature a sally port system for consistently controlled entry from outside the structure and within. Prisoners, judges and spectators will travel separate areas.
The basement will contain the prisoner holding area, utilities and parking for judges. The first floor will be the judicial plaza. The second floor will be a court level with two superior courts, a large 220 spectator court and a smaller court. The third and fourth floors will be district courts.
The expected completion for the courthouse is September 2023. The existing courthouse renovation completion date is May 2024. The two buildings will be joined.
The renovation project is included in the budget. The first floor will be gutted, and the new offices will be used for probation and parole. The second floor will be for the district attorney, and the third floor will have light renovations and will be for grand jury uses.
Mitch Brigulio of Davenport and Company offered funding options in a volatile market and said under all the options, interest rates are good right now.
“One benefit of working with a bank is locking in the interest rate, rather than a public sale of bonds,” Brigulio said. “Loan of this size, give banks three to four weeks’ notice.”
The commissioners will hold a special meeting to discuss construction estimates.
Rendered drawing courtesy of Moseley Architects.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Reporter Stephanie M. Sellers.
