Habersham judicial center moving toward Dec. groundbreaking

CLARKESVILLE - Planning is continuing to construct a new judicial center for Habersham County on the site of the old North Habersham school on Llewellyn Street, about a block off the main thoroughfare, Washington Street.

"Basically, we are at a point now where we are doing a traffic study," said Habersham County Commission Chairman Sonny James. "We're working on the outside façade of it."

The new 65,000-square-foot judicial center will be a three-story facility and will house most of the county's court-related functions.

"There will be approximately 20 percent open space when we move in -- for immediate expansion," James said. That will mean roughly 50,000 square feet of the facility is finished.

County Manager Janeann Allison said provisions are being made to prevent what's happened in other counties from driving up initial operating costs. In one of the surrounding counties, she said, one desk was moved into the unfinished "shell area" of a new facility, necessitating the additional electrical and climate control costs associated with an open space.

In Habersham, she said, that won't happen.

"Everything [in that area] will be stubbed in," she said. "The elevator won't run that far up."

"We don't want the cost of heating an empty space," James said. "We're being very cautious and concerned about what's being built, how much it's going to cost and how much it's going to cost to operate it."

As AccessNorthGa.com recently reported, county leaders are working with the Habersham County Board of Education to swap for a 1.25-acre piece of land located in front of the judicial center and with frontage on Washington Street.

During the September board of education meeting, members of the board of education expressed interest in helping the county obtain the parcel needed to enhance the judicial center site. A vote on that matter is expected at the board's October meeting.

"What we're considering right now is doing a land swap that would give the county a parcel of land that comes right off Washington Street and goes up to a cleared lot right across from the board of education office," said Habersham County Board of Education Chairman Robert Barron following that September meeting. "This would be so that they have direct access from Washington Street right up to that [judicial center] property. It's actually a piece of property that's T-shaped, with the bottom of the T at Washington Street."

No money will be exchanged for the parcel, but rather the board of education will, at a future time, select a county-owned parcel to receive in consideration for the T-shaped parcel off Washington Street, Barron said previously.

"Right now there's not really a county piece of property that the board of ed is interested in," Allison said.

"It's all county property," James stressed. "This is not a purchase."

James said initially there was talk of purchasing the land from the board of education, but the elected leaders decided since all property involved is owned by the taxpayers of Habersham County a land swap was deemed in order.

"I think it speaks real well of both boards that that's recognized,"James said. "The cooperation between the county, municipalities and board of education has come a long way."

James said he hopes citizens recognize the increased teamwork that is occurring for their benefit. "Their elected officials are trying to work together for the benefit of all of Habersham County."

He is pleased that the new judicial center will include ample parking.

"The parking is going to be quite sufficient for now and the immediate future,"James added.

What initially raised eyebrows as a problem with a land line between the 1.25-acre board of education parcel and The Norton Agency appears to be nothing more than a mapping overlay issue, Allison said.

From that aerial photograph with superimposed land lines, it appeared that half The Norton Agency's parking was located on BOE-owned property. That now does not appear to be the case.

"It doesn't look like there's going to be a problem as long as [Norton's] plat that's recorded is correct," Allison said late this week.

James anticipates the traffic study for the judicial center project area, which covers Lewellyn Street, Stanford Mill Road, Washington Street and the general area of the planned facility should be completed within 30 days.

But the decisions being made by county leaders are not without input, James said.

"We're going to go over this with Clarkesville leaders and get their input," he said. "We definitely want their input - once we get information to show them."

The new facility will include superior court, state court, probate court, clerk of court's office and other judicial-related functions, including courthouse security. The public defender's office will not be in the new facility, Allison said Friday and magistrate court may or may not relocate.

"It is still a little up in the air regarding the magistrate court," she said. "They will be included in the pricing of the facility as an extra. So, if we have the funding, we will make the space for them. If not, they will remain where they are."

"We're in the process, as was mentioned in our last meeting, of doing the schematics," James said. "We've got the inside floor plans laid out. Everybody seems to be pretty happy with that and we re just moving forward with it."

James said public input is important to the process.

"It's our desire that this will be something that the people of Habersham County can be proud of for a lot of years to come," James said. "We're hoping to have everything out so the people can see it fairly shortly and we want to hopefully have a groundbreaking in December."

EXISTING COURTHOUSE

Once the new judicial center is built and occupied, plans call for renovation of the existing three-story courthouse with basement on the Clarkesville Square.

In fact, $3 million have been set aside for renovating the current building, which is in need of a new roof and HVAC upgrades, including zoning for energy efficiency.

"I anticipate that [the current building] will include everything that is not judicial," Allison said, excluding public safety.

Once judicial functions are relocated to the new facility, the current courthouse will cease to be secured by deputies and citizens can enter the building more freely.

"They'll be able to come through other doors," Allison said. "I don't know that every door will be unlocked, but I do anticipate that most will."

Currently, the county is preparing to advertise for bids on its Roper Drive building, located just outside Clarkesville, which formerly housed the building and planning, 9-1-1 mapping, code enforcement and Veterans' Services offices.

The building and planning department and others have relocated to the HEMC Annex on Highway 115 west of Clarkesville, a facility rented by the county. Other departments recently relocated include the consolidation of the animal control department with the animal shelter, now based at the shelter off Toccoa Highway; and the water administration office, which has been relocated from the HEMC Annex to the courthouse.