Newspaper Page Text
Page 2, August 26, 2019, The Islander
1 AGE 2 N
Courthouse committee
Continued from Page 1
to review a space needs study done by
the Heery consulting company sev
eral years ago. The study took several
county facilities into consideration
including the courthouse, the Harold
Pate Annex, Office Park and the for
mer detention center, which has since
been demolished.
The BOC agreed and Chairman
Mike Browning (Dist. 1) appointed a
committee of local experts including
former federal law enforcement offi
cial Ralph Basham, who has served as
the head of four of the eight U.S. De
partment of Homeland Security agen
cies and was Director of the Secret
Service, former Glynn Sheriff Wayne
Bennett, former banker Jack Hart
man, contractor Billy Lawrence and
architect John Tuten.
After site visits at the courthouse
and Office Park, which houses the Ju
venile Court, the committee met last
Thursday, August 22 to discuss their
findings and decide what should be
the next step.
County Commissioners Alan Book
er (Dist. 5) and Peter Murphy (Dist. 2)
also attended.
Basham talked about their site
visits, saying they had spoken to the
people who were affected by space and
security issues.
He said the space and security is
sues definitely needed to be addressed.
“The question is,” said Basham, “What
is the next step?”
Former Sheriff
Bennett, who is
very knowledge
able of the court
house, said that
security is espe
cially an issue on
the second floor.
“It’s not safe for
the judges,” he
said.
Project cost
was a big part of
the discussion.
The Heery
study, done in
2014, listed three
options. Option A
is off the table be
cause it called for
renovating and
using the now-de
molished deten
tion center.
Options B and
C, which were
recommended,
were both in the $34 to $35 million
range.
Everyone agreed that the 5 year
old estimated cost would probably be
higher now.
Commissioner Murphy said if
SPLOST 2020 is a 5-year tax, it could
bring in between $100 and $120
million.
Murphy said nothing was set in
stone but they could be talking about
$40 to $50 million for the courthouse
project, once inflation was included.
Tuten agreed that $50 million was
probably realistic with inflation on a 5
year old study.
Tuten also said the study was well
ordered and almost a master plan for
the project.
Lawrence suggested doing the proj
ect in phases, an idea with which Mur
phy agreed.
As an example, Murphy suggest
ed building the structure with 3 or 4
floors and finishing out the first two
and doing the rest later when more
money was avail
able, for example
another SPLOST.
‘We could do
part now,” said
Murphy, “and
then ask the vot
ers for the rest in
five years.”
Murphy did
say the only way
to raise this much
money was with
the SPLOST. He
said, “I’m not sure
if this will pass
muster with the
voters. That’s why
we’re coming to
you, the experts,
for your opinion
on this.”
Note: The
courthouse itself
was built with
SPLOST 2 funds,
back in the early
1990s.
Basham stressed that in his opin
ion the security issues needed to be
addressed in the short term.
Turn to Page 6
Courthouse committee
The county’s Courthouse Needs Assessment Committee met last week with County
Commissioners Allen Booker (Dist. 5) and Peter Murphy (Dist. 2). Committee
members included: (left to right) Ben Hartman, John Tuten, Booker, Billy Lawrence,
Ralph Basham and Wayne Bennett. Murphy is to Bennett’s left.
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