Courthouse construction progresses

Published 12:02 pm Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Construction of the new Charlotte County Courthouse is continuing into its 20th week.

Tim Burge, project superintendent for Skanska USA Building Inc., the project manager, said the $13.9 million construction project is set to be complete by December.

According to Burge, the foundations are almost complete and underground utilities have been installed.

In addition, Blair Construction, the building contractor for the project, has started pouring the walls for the foundation.

Crews “continued to dig and pour footings along the east side, dug out for public elevator and associated footers, poured sump pit bottom and are tying steel for public elevator pit to be poured next week,” Burge said in his weekly report to supervisors and county staff.

Burge said improving weather conditions have helped the project move along.

Electricians are in the process of installing conduit for primary and secondary feeds for the building, according to his report.

The courthouse, according to Burge, will be roughly 28,000 sq. ft. and will be located on David Bruce Ave. in Charlotte Court House.

Over the next month, Burge said construction crews will focus on completing foundations and setting steel.

“Next week, CCC, the concrete wall crew, will continue tying steel, start setting forms, strip forms and begin getting ready for the next wall pour,” Burge said in last week’s report.

According to its website, Blair Construction has completed courthouse projects in Lunenburg, Halifax, Nelson and Bedford counties.

“The Department of Environmental Quality is completing (its) review of the revised site drawings and will be providing information on the nutrient credit shortly,” according to the report.

The circuit court judge-mandated project comes after years of negotiations with citizens, state officials, judges, supervisors and architectural firms.