Dedication ceremony to be held for the foundation of new Justice Center

Construction on the new justice center is underway, and a dedication for the foundation is scheduled for later this month.

The Justice Center is a 315,000-square-foot building that will house court facilities, the sheriff's office and detention center. The project has been planned for many years and is now becoming a reality.

A dedication of the foundation will be held at 100 Justice Place off Patton Drive on May 21. Tours of the construction site will begin at 3 p.m., and the dedication ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. It is open to the public.

Parking is available at the Yates-Metcon lot across the street from the construction entrance at 404 E. Marion St.

According to Karyn Owens, county marketing and communications director, current stakeholders and elected officials will be in attendance as well as those who have paved the way for the county to construct the facility.

Here are some the most recent developments with the project:

• Recently, Phase 1 of the project was sent back out for a rebid. David Cotton, county manager, said phase 1 includes mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP). Cotton said the original MEP bid was over budget and the bid packages were reviewed and revised with the goal of obtaining a lower price.
• County commissioners voted at their last meeting to cash flow funds and put off borrowing. Cotton said the county has received approximately $105 million through state of North Carolina local appropriations. In addition, the county has set aside approximately $17 million in local funds. "Both funding sources are committed to the Cleveland County Justice Center," he said.
• Cotton said as a funding strategy, the county will leverage the committed cash on hand first which will allow them to defer borrowing money in hopes of taking advantage of lower interest rates in the anticipated in the future. "This funding plan has been made possible through the financial acumen and wisdom of the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners, which will result in significant savings to the taxpayers and the construction of a community asset," Cotton said.
• Cotton said in broad terms, the cashflow/pay-go portion of the project will encompass the foundation, steel structure, HVAC, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing equipment and materials, elevators, fire suppression, which represents 80% of the construction for the project.
• As far as construction goes, Cotton said work on the micro-piers, which support the foundation, has begun. "Once completed, the foundation will be formed and poured signaling the beginning of the vertical structure. From a scheduling perspective, the construction phase is underway."

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Dedication ceremony to be held for the foundation of new Justice Center