The lot on the corners of Main Street, M. L. King Jr. Drive and Bagley Avenue won’t be empty for long as contractors hope to begin construction on the Liberty County Justice Center in a couple of months.
“We’re expecting to break ground sometime in January, with full-fledged construction to start in February,” said project manager Bill Vickery of Statesboro’s Pope Construction.
Vickery estimated the construction calendar to run about 24 months for the nearly 100,000 square foot, three-story building.
“It’ll be very similar to the Liberty County Board of Education (building) that we constructed four years ago,” Vickery said.
Just bigger by about 35,000 square feet.
County administrator Joey Brown said projected construction costs will range between $18 and $19 million. The facility is being funded through the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST).

 As the general contractor, Pope Construction, is taking bids for subcontractors up until 2 p.m. Dec. 18.
“It’s anticipated the potential subcontractors will be notified in mid-January,” said Brown, who indicated the city will have some say in the selection of subcontractors.
Preliminary reviews have been made, including site testing by the architect and “economic adjustments.”
Vickery agreed about some changes in the budget.
“We’ve gone through some preliminary budgeting on the entire project, and we found some ways to (be more efficient with) the project without giving up the quality,” Vickery said.
David Holton of James Buckley & Associates, the Swainsboro-based architectural firm for the facility, said the design has been finalized.
“The (building) does not really compare to any other facilities in that it is custom-fit to the
current and future needs of
Liberty County,” Holton said.
Vickery mentioned his company has constructed two courthouses in Appling County and the courthouse annex in Bulloch County, and the local Justice Center would be a “very nice commercial building that would, of course, be an icon for Liberty County.”
He added the concrete product being used as the building’s base will give it a unique look.
“The cast stone offers the building the historic appearance they used to build courthouses and stately buildings years ago,” Vickery said.
When the center is completed, Brown said county departments will shift to help centralize public services.
“What we call the old gas company building will be torn down and those people will move in to the old (county) courthouse,” Brown said.
He added that the county’s information technology department, Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission and voter registration will move to the old courthouse. Juvenile Court will remain in the old courthouse.
Brown thinks the space formerly occupied by the old gas building will be used for parking.
Overcrowding at the old courthouse is not the only reason for the Justice Center, Brown said.
“Probably one of the main things is security,” Brown said. “Right now, you have just an undesirable situation of inmates and court personnel (in the old courthouse).”