Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
County finishing up building projects
BENTONVILLE — Three Benton County building projects should be done before the end of the year, officials said.
A temporary courtroom for Christine Horwart, who was elected in March and will be the county’s seventh circuit judge, is almost finished. She takes office Jan. 1.
Horwart’s first courtroom and chamber will be in a small area in the downtown courthouse last used as a courtroom in 2012. The room doesn’t have a jury box and has a small gallery, County Judge Barry Moehring previously said.
The judge’s bench, witness and court reporter desks, court reporter and attorney/ client office and the judge’s office have been remodeled. The only work left to finish is the installation of LED lights,
Jimmy Walden, Benton County custodial and maintenance supervisor, shows Wednesday renovations being done for a temporary court space for new Benton County Judge Christine Horwart. The county is also working on an expansion at the Road Department shop and an expansion of the Quorum Courtroom. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler) complete the painting and the month, said Bryan Beeson, put down the carpet. facilities administrator.
The remodel of the The county budgeted $23,796 888-square foot courtroom for that work. Security cameras could be ready by the end of and doors and audio/ visual equipment will be added later in the year, said James Turner, county information technology director. The cost of that equipment and to move some prosecuting attorney staff who were in that location is a little over $88,600, Turner said.
Horwart later will move into a new courtroom. Many of the improvements in the temporary space such as information technology, audio/ visual equipment and security additions will carry over to the permanent courtroom, Moehring said.
The county will finance $3.1 million to expand the courthouse. The county secured a loan from Regions Bank for five years at 1.59% with no prepayment penalty, comptroller Brenda Guenther said. The Quorum Court court approved that financing plan at its July 31 meeting.
The expansion will add 5,500 square feet to the downtown courthouse. The county will demolish the one-story section behind the courthouse once housing the coroner’s office. A two-story addition is planned on the site with a lobby area and restrooms on the first floor. Horwart’s courtroom and office area would be on the second floor.
Included in the court expansion cost is $231,783 to repair the courthouse annex where Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren holds court, according to documents.
The annex is across the street from the main courthouse.
Construction would begin very early next year and go until around September if all goes according to plan, Moehring previously said. The plan is to have the whole project wrapped up before the end of 2021, he said.
Also clicking along is the expansion of the Quorum
Courtroom on the third floor of the County Administration Building, Beeson said. The Quorum Court approved $100,000 for the project July 31. The elimination of the east wall will add about 800 square feet of space to make the room roughly 2,000 square feet, Moehring said.
The demolition work is complete along with a new ceiling and installion of LED lights. Millwork on the justice of the peace counters, paint and carpet are still being worked on, Beeson said.
Improved video and audio conferencing as well as livestreaming capability will be part of the expansion, Moehring said.
The project should be done
by the end of September, Beeson said.
The Quorum Court meets in Circuit Judge Robin Green’s courtroom to meet social distancing requirements because of covid-19.
“In the short term, the additional space will allow us to move meetings back into the Quorum Court Room with appropriate social distancing and other measures to provide for safety of the public, county staff and Quorum Court members,” Moehring said.
The county also could use the expanded room for early voting, Moehring said. The County Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the administration building is an early voting polling center.
Work also continues at the Road Department on Southwest 14th Street where an expansion is under way. The foundation is being installed. The building pad then will be poured and a metal building package is on order, Beeson said. The project will cost $241,996, he said.
“This is a very efficient expansion that moves the Road Department administration into existing office space in the Bogle Building and adds additional space to a current building in order to provide for more service bays and mechanic space to service our vehicles and equipment,” Moehring said.
The 4,800-square-foot addition to the 9,000-squarefoot shop will feature three drive-through bays and an oil change pit, Beeson said.
The county also will demolish a 7,000-square-foot building built in 1964 that housed the Road Department administration as part of the project.
The completion date is tracking at the middle of October, depending on the weather, Beeson said.