BRUNSWICK COUNTY—Due to overcrowding and space issues, the Brunswick County Courthouse is due for an $11 million expansion.
The county has budgeted $11 million toward an expansion and renovation project to take place through 2021, according to a space needs assessment study.
Though the total cost of the project is yet to be determined, county commissioners will vote to transfer $8 million from the fund balance to the county capital reserve for the project Monday, June 4.
Brunswick County spokesperson Amanda Hutcheson said Commissioners are utilizing pay-as-you-go financing to prepare for the project, which is identified as a high-priority issue in the county’s Five-Year-Capital Improvement plan.
“The Commissioners are in favor of using pay-as-you-go to pay for the project,” Hutcheson wrote in an email.
A space needs study found the courthouse was 6,107 square feet short of the net building area needed for all courtroom functions. It also indicated improved security measures were needed to address “crowded conditions during public peak courtroom uses.”
In February, Brunswick County Commissioners approved an architectural services contract with Sawyer Sherwood & Associate Architecture for $975,000 to oversee the expansion and renovation project. The architectural firm will oversee construction bids throughout the four and a half year project.
The first phase of the project could include a 15,000 square foot, third story addition. At this time, the courthouse has two stories. Following the expansion, approximately 48,000 square feet of interior and exterior space will be renovated to make way for an updated entrance canopy and other courtroom changes.
Sawyer Sherwood & Associate Architecture anticipates the project will last through 2021.
Courthouse Expansion Plans by Johanna Ferebee on Scribd
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