Chatham plans new judicial facility

Posted Sunday, May 20, 2007

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Pittsboro, NC - Chatham County has taken the first steps toward completion of a new Judicial Facility project in downtown Pittsboro. The Judicial Design Committee, in concert with Corley Redfoot Zack, Inc., has completed the master planning, programming and preliminary space planning design phases of the project. The architects have prepared a preliminary cost estimate based on the scope of work developed through that process.

To this point, the design process for the Chatham County Justice Facility has been an eight-month long, inclusive and collaborative effort among a highly diverse group of participants including current and former members of the judiciary, representatives of state agencies, county staff and private citizens. The result of this effort is a well-conceived Master Plan and Schematic Floor Plan based on programming information debeloped with all the user groups expected to work in the facility. In addition, a Preliminary Budget Estimate was developed based on the Schematic Floor Plan and Master Plan with input from County Staff.

The Proposed Campus Plan shows the Proposed Chatham County Justice Facility located on axis with the existing Chatliam County Courthouse and Government Services Building and just to the south of East Chatham Street on County-owned property. A pedestrian mall connects the entrance plaza of the proposed facility to the existing government facilities to the north creating a framework for future growth of county offices. A proposed county parking lot, which is to be shared by all county facilities, displaces the current Public Works storage building and the water utilities building. A future county jail facility is located just north of a future East Womack Street with direct connection to the proposed Justice Facility.

Schematic Floor Plans indicate a three-story facility with a partial basement. The plans were developed in conjunction with the project program and input from other members of the Design Committee. In addition to the programmed spaces, shell space for future departmental growth and archival storage in the partial basement has been provided for consideration.

A total preliminary cost estimate of $24,537,000.00 has been developed for the project that includes all construction and site development as well as other project-related costs. The costs related to the construction of the facility include:
 

• The proposed Justice Facility Building
• Sustainable Building Systems
• Shell Space and Partial Basement to accommodate growth or addition of county functions
• Justice Facility Site Development
• Development of a pedestrian mall and South Street county parking facility
• Improvements to East Chatham Street and Sanford Road
• Relocation of (3) existing historic homes to a location on East Chatharn Street

A large, rotunda lobby space has also been studied, which would add an additional $1,269,000 to the overall cost of the justice facility.

The Judicial Facility project is budgeted in the current fiscal year.