From the Ground Up: Christian County Circuit Court

Owner/developer: Christian County
General contractor: DeWitt & Associates Inc.
Architect: Paragon Architecture LLC
Engineers: Olsson Associates Inc., civil; Toth and Associates Inc., structural; Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins Inc., mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 36,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $11 million
Lender: None
Estimated completion: January 2019
Project description: Christian County Courts is building a three-story office adjacent to its Justice Center on the Ozark square. Plans call for offices for the prosecutor, district attorney and juvenile services, as well as two court rooms, a grand jury room, victim advocate rooms, evidence storage and secure holding cells, according to those familiar with the work. “A lot of it will be secure areas without access by the public,” said Michael Sutton, project manager with DeWitt & Associates. “We’re staying on the better side of security in the building.” Among the features is a sally port for the sheriff to transfer inmates securely. Christian County Presiding Commissioner Ray Weter said project funding is from county reserves, roughly $2.35 million, and bonds sold for the remainder. He said the building’s annual $650,000 debt service will be covered by county property taxes.