$1.1M spent on new judicial center
The Greene County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a call meeting on Monday, July 29, to discuss how to solve the problem of overcrowding at the Greene County Courthouse in downtown Greensboro.
One option is to invest millions of dollars in repairs and renovations at the 175-year-old courthouse, or build a new Judicial Center.
The Lake Oconee News has learned that $1.1 million has already been spent on architectural plans to build a new facility at the C. Weldon Smith County complex. All judicial and related personnel who work in the courthouse would be relocated there.
Some county residents and downtown business owners are opposed to the move. They fear removing the daily judicial activities from the courthouse will irreparably damage the city’s already struggling economy. Others argue the rundown courthouse has great historical significance. Organizations and citizens have sent letters, petitions, and proclamations against the move. All hope there is a chance to convince commissioners not to empty the courthouse.
However, in a special meeting called 16 months ago, the county commission unanimously approved money for an architectural design for a new Judicial Center.
The architectural work has been completed at a cost of $1,099,000. The building contract is tentatively expected to be awarded no later than this month.
Construction on the new center, which will cost $25 million and be built using the frame structure of the current rodeo arena, will start this October.
The expense for the architectural plans has not been made public until now. It is the result of an open records request by Lake Oconee News for all information prepared for commissioners prior to this Monday's meeting.
In the information packet, written by the county administrative staff, the March 2023 meeting was said to be “significant” and added, “There was no confusion about what was planned as each step was thoroughly discussed at that meeting.”
County Commission Chairman Gary Usry told the Lake Oconee News that he recalled commissioners being told the estimated cost of the architectural design prior to the March 2, 2023, meeting.
Apparently, the cost is news to some commissioners who voted for the design phase at the meeting.
“I don’t believe that for one second,” Commissioner Angela Deering said, “that it cost a million dollars to draw drawings of buildings.”
Commissioner Dee Lindsey agrees.
“I don’t recall ever seeing it. I don’t recall it being put to us that there was going to be a million dollars spent just for planning of a judicial center,” he said.
But Commissioner Ernie Filice, a strong advocate for moving courthouse employees to a new Judicial Center, said he’s not surprised at the cost of the architectural plans.
“There was discussion that it was going to be expensive,” he said. “I went to talk to Byron (Lombard, county manager) afterward and said, ‘Okay, what’s the number?’ And I talked to him before and he gave me a number. And if they’re (other commissioners) going to do their job, they should have gone to Byron and found out that number, too.”
The minutes for the March 2, 2023, meeting, posted on the Greene County website, are vague and do not mention the cost.
“There was general discussion regarding the future of the courthouse and ensuring that the county wouldn’t desert the building after judicial services moved to the new facility," the post read. "Filice motioned to approve the fee proposal for architectural services for the Judicial Center Project … Commissioner Smith seconded. The motion carried unanimously.”
“Back in early 2023, it was a foregone conclusion that the Judicial Center was going to be built,” Deering said. “After the trees got cut at the courthouse, it became evident that there were so many more people that cared about the courthouse than was realized, and everybody just started rethinking that project. Since then, I know there are not enough votes (on the county commission) to build the Judicial Center.”
Lindsey said that even if the board eventually decides to reject building the Judicial Center, there’s still a silver lining.
“I feel like a million dollars is just outrageous,” he said, “and that was not my understanding at the time, but anything we spent on that, I wouldn’t consider it totally wasted because it may be something that could be used five or 10 years from now.”
Usry emphasized to the Lake Oconee News this week that the commission has not voted on whether to build a new Judicial Center or make massive repairs at the courthouse. He doubts a vote will be made at Monday’s called meeting.
“As of right now, I am not aware of any vote that will be taken at that 29th meeting,” he said.
It will be an open meeting at 8 a.m., Monday, July 29, at the County Commission room on Silver Avenue. Public comments will be accepted for those who sign up prior to the meeting.