Allen County commissioners picked Crossland Construction of Columbus to expand and remodel the courthouse.
Chief District Judge Dan Creitz is spearheading a plan to build a new courtroom and make other improvements to the court facilities.
He recommended the county pick Crossland to serve as construction manager at risk for the project, which would include ushering voters through a bond election. The cost isn’t yet known, but preliminary estimates indicate it could exceed $5 million.
Much of the cost will be determined by whether the county chooses a more expensive option to build a tunnel underneath the courthouse and install an elevator to transport prisoners between the jail and the courtroom, or instead build a secured hallway on the main floor.
An architect’s design included the underground tunnel and elevator, Creitz noted.
“There are a lot of unknowns going underneath the courtroom,” he said.
A committee, led by Creitz, interviewed two companies vying to oversee the project: Crossland and Universal Construction of Kansas City, Kan.
Both recommended building a hallway rather than an underground tunnel.
Both companies would not charge the county if a bond issue for the project fails to pass. They also recommended having a special election in June or July, rather than including the measure in a general election.
A decision between the two was very difficult, Commissioner David Lee said.
Ultimately, he said, it came down to Crossland’s plan to educate taxpayers about the bond issue in order to sway voters in its favor.
“As we go down this path, that’s going to be very necessary,” Lee said.
Commissioners also noted the county was making its final bond payments on the jail this month. The jail was built in 2004 for $2.9 million, using revenue bonds that were paid for by housing prisoners.
With the jail paid off, commissioners hope taxpayers will be willing to support the courthouse renovation.
Creitz has said the renovation is “a need, not a want” because the current facilities are too small and lack appropriate security measures.
