Gwinnett Courthouse Expansion Delayed Again

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- Once again, Gwinnett County commissioners have delayed plans for a $74 million expansion of the county courthouse complex.

The contract for the expansion would be funded almost entirely by money from Gwinnett's 2009 special purpose local-option sales tax. But, seven years later, it will be at least a couple more weeks before that work gets the go-ahead.

Commissioners had been prepared to vote Tuesday on the expansion of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, until one commissioner said he still has questions about the project.

Commissioner John Heard asked his colleagues to postpone a decision until their May 3 meeting, the Gwinnett Daily Post reports.

Heard wanted more information about how Gilbane Building Company was chosen for the project.

"There were four firms that submitted (bids), only two were interviewed," he told the Daily Post. "Two were not interviewed because the scoring priorities didn’t justify it, so what I want to do is talk to the five members of the selection panel and get their input on that."

The contract would be to build a 180,485 square-foot addition and a 1,500-space parking garage at the justice center.

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.