It has been a series of hurdles, and another must be cleared, in order for the proposed Scott County Justice Center to move forward.
Land is now being cleared at the corner of Washington Street and Broadway Avenue for the $35 million plus project, but unless the Senate approves HB 455 Thursday or Friday of this week, the project may be have to wait for at least another year.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said he supports the project, but it may be next year before additional funding is approved because budget items are typically not part of the shorter General Assembly sessions.
“I am happy to see that the lot for the future courthouse is being prepared for site work,” Thayer said in text message. “Representative (Phillip, R-Georgetown) Pratt and I worked hard to get funding for that project, and I am pleased with the project.
“I am aware of the inflationary pressure the project faces and as of today, the General Assembly plans to deal with it in 2024, when we are bound by the Constitution to pass a two-year state budget.”
The county’s Justice Center project is among 11 proposed by the Administration of Courts (AOC) in HB 455. Scott County is seeking an additional $1.045 million in annual use allowance for the project which has become necessary due mostly to inflation, but also due to the addition of a family courtroom. The Kentucky House of Representatives approved the bill on March 3, but the Senate has yet to hear the bill with only two days remaining in this General Assembly session.
“(The Senate) has asked us to give them a report on where each project stands,” said Danny Rhodes, AOC executive officer of the court facilities. “They are asking where each project stands in terms of land purchase, bids, etc. on a county-by-county basis.
“We have provided that information.”
Scott County’s Justice Center Project is finally ready for bid after lengthy negotiations with a land owner who challenged in court for two land parcels within the project. Negotiations on those two land parcels were settled a few weeks ago, and almost immediately land was cleared for the project. More than a dozen structures were removed, and the site is currently being prepared for construction. Bids for this phase of the project were let months ago, but actual construction cannot begin until the additional funding is approved by the General Assembly.
“We need this bill passed,” said Scott County Judge-Executive Joe Pat Covington. “Otherwise, we’ll just have a big mud hole.”
If the Senate does approve the bill, Covington, who chairs the committee overseeing the local project, said he hopes to seek bids in October of this year. Otherwise, they’ll have to wait to see if the additional funding is approved in the 2024 full session of the General Assembly, Rhodes said.
The bulk of funding for the project is already approved. The state will eventually pay for construction of the Justice Center, but the funding will be borrowed using the county’s bonding credit.
The projected cost of the Justice Center is $35 million, but architects have warned inflation will almost certainly increase that estimated cost, Covington said. The original plans called for a 65,000 sq. ft. building, but the county was awarded a second family court judge last year, so an additional court room and offices were added to the project pushing the projected size of the building to 70,000 sq. ft.
