Despite assurances from the CMW Architectural that the new State Judicial Center in Trigg County would be built within budget as designed, Architect Dennis Arthur said that he planned to consider many of the building’s features as options.

“I have been concerned from the very beginning about the seismic design requirements within the building,” said Arthur. “We have seven alternates for the project that will not affect the building’s square footage, but the quality and detail of the structure.”

Arthur said that demolition of the former Trigg County Jail, copper flashing on the new building, ceiling tiles, door finishes, reuse of existing wooden fixtures in the current courthouse, placement of a stairwell, and use of wood wainscoat paneling would be bid as optional additions beyond basic items in construction.

He added that the design featured two towers or turrets in the front of the building. One tower plans to rise above the other and feature a clock. Arthur said that to reduce costs, the additional elevation could be omitted. “That’s a big ticket item in the design. By deleting this unused space, it would not hurt the look of the building and reduce costs,” he said.

Board Member and Circuit Court Judge C.A. “Woody” Woodall III said that the optional bids allowed the board to “cherry-pick” the features it wanted to keep, if the budget permitted.

Arthur said that the site of the current courthouse and future building had no underlying bedrock to absorb seismic shock. He said that the moment connections he used in the design of the building had been estimated to cost $200 by a value estimator within his company. He said that studies of the connections on the open market revealed a cost of up to $2,000.

To find out more about Justice Center plans, see your May 16 Cadiz Record.