Groundbreaking: Chilton County’s one-stop courthouse breaks ground in Clanton

Published 12:09 pm Tuesday, October 22, 2024

By Carey Reeder

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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Oct. 18, 2024 will go down as a paramount day in Chilton County’s history as ground was broken for the new Chilton County Courthouse, an event over 50 years in the making. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new courthouse was held at the Chilton County Board of Education on Lay Dam Road. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Public Building Authority Chairman Alan Childress, members of the Chilton County Commission and Clanton City Council, Clanton Mayor Jeff Mims, retired Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sarah Stewart and Brasfield & Gorrie representative Sara Beth Wilcox were all in attendance for the momentous occasion.

“It is exciting to be here in Clanton to help celebrate this historic milestone for Chilton County,” Ivey said. “Throughout Alabama’s history, the building of a new courthouse has been a source of great community pride. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony signifies the writing of the next chapter in the history of Chilton County.”

Ivey added that the event was made possible by Chilton County boldly moving forward and advancing with fielding the project, one that has been in the works for months. Three years ago, the Chilton County Commission put together a courthouse search committee to look for possible sites for a new courthouse.

The current courthouse was built in 1963, and in recent years has fallen outside of American Disability Act compliance, which costs the county thousands of dollars each year. A renovation survey was conducted at the current courthouse to see if renovations to the building would be sufficient, but the survey revealed it would not be cost effective to renovate the old building rather than building a new facility.

“(The committee) hit the ground running,” Chilton County Commission Chairman Randell Kelley said.

Chilton County Administrator Sylvia Singleton, Chilton County Commissioners Jimmie Hardee, Allen Williams, Darrell Bone and Reynolds were recognized during the groundbreaking for their role on the search team and the long hours of research and effort they put forth. They also worked through securing the finances for the project as well.

Mims approached the commission with a proposal to trade them land on Lay Dam Road to build a new courthouse in exchange for the current courthouse building in downtown Clanton. The trade was agreed upon by both parties and the Chilton County Courthouse Committee, and plans were put fully into motion at the site. The plans for the city are to tear down the current courthouse once the new one is complete and build a new facility for the Clanton Police Department and municipal court. The current building that CPD is in was built in the mid 1930s and was converted from an old post office.

The plans for the new courthouse include a “one-stop shop” for all of the county’s offices including the tag office, probate office, board of registrars, an office for the sheriff’s department, courtrooms and more. The project will also add technology and security updates for the county’s offices, as well as being ADA compliant.

“Our current courthouse was built in the 1960s, and it has served its purpose for the citizens of Chilton County,” Hardee said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “However, the time has come to expand, become more efficient and create a safer environment for our citizens. This will not only be an exciting day for citizens in Chilton County, but also for the future generations. We like to call this our ‘one-stop shop,’ and we will come here and do any county business you would like to.”

The Public Building Authority was also formed during the courthouse project plans to be the mechanism that helps flesh out all of the details of the project with the support of the Chilton County Commission and the City of Clanton behind them. The PBA and the Chilton County Courthouse Committee worked closely with each other throughout the project plans. PBA members include Childress, Reynolds, Bob Woods with the City of Clanton and Allen Payton.

The project is a design build, meaning the PBA can work with the architect throughout the project on details. The project was put out for bid, and the PBA got three potential partners to participate, and they were narrowed down accordingly. In the end, Birchfield Penuel Architects was chosen as the architect and Brasfield & Gorrie as the contractor for the project.

“We have been working hard for these last few months, and I am proud of the work we have been able to accomplish, but what I am most proud of is that we are able to work together,” Childress said. “The city and county have been working hand-in-hand, and we are trying to get this building just as they want it to be within the budget they have given us.”

The project that will erect a three-story, 72,000-square-foot courthouse is costing $32 million. The county has fronted $12 million for the project. The other $20 million was borrowed through bonds that the commission was able to utilize and avoid using Chilton County taxpayer money while financing the remaining balance of the project.

“We are dedicated to being a good steward of the county’s resources on this project, and we are going to complete it on time and under budget for the residents of Chilton County,” Sara Beth Wilcox, Vice President and Division Manager of Brasfield & Gorrie, said. “We would not be here today at Brasfield & Gorrie without the amazing individuals that have come from Chilton County that have made up a large amount of our workforce, and been some of the best builders we have seen. In our 60-year history, it is very safe to say that Brasfield & Gorrie has been very successful because of the individuals from Chilton County.”

Also, during the groundbreaking ceremony, Mims spoke about the late Robert Threlkeld and the role he played for the city on its Industrial Development Board. Mims said he always wanted to name a road after Threlkeld, and the new courthouse will give him that opportunity. The road that goes back to the courthouse off of Lay Dam Road will be called Robert Threlkeld Parkway was everything is completed.

Preparations for the project at the site will begin soon, and construction is expected to take 14-16 months to complete.

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