Gwinnett To Consider $74 Million Courthouse Expansion

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- After years of delays, Gwinnett County commissioners on Tuesday will consider a $74 million expansion of the county courthouse and administrative building.

According to the agenda for Tuesday's commission meeting, the board will vote on awarding a $74.6 million contract to Gilbane Building Company, the highest-scoring bidder.

The contract would be to build a 180,485 square-foot addition and a 1,500-space parking garage at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.

The contract would be funded 92% by money from Gwinnett's 2009 special-purpose local-option sales tax.

That's how long the expansion has been planned. But commissioners then, and several times since, have opted to delay the work.

In 2010, commissioners turned down nine proposals to do the expansion, saying that tight budgets at the time made it poor timing to shell out the cash.

The expansion will focus largely on court-related needs, including judges' chambers and jury deliberation rooms.