City Council moves ahead on courthouse project

RELATED: Fredericksburg advances Riverfront Park project

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY

The Fredericksburg City Council made progress on the courthouse project last night.

In a work session, the council gave city staff approval to move forward with plans to fully renovate the General District Court so that it can be used for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

The J&DR Court is currently in Executive Plaza, and the General District Court will move to the new courthouse, which will rise just across the street from its current location on Princess Anne Street.

The full renovation will cost $4.8 million and is part of the contract the city signed with First Choice Public–Private Partners to build the new courthouse.

The construction cost limit for the new courthouse is $31.875 million.

City Manager Beverly Cameron told the council that the city received the guaranteed maximum price for the new courthouse and it is $1.1 million less than the construction cost limit.

That price is the absolute maximum amount the city is allowed to spend on the project.

Cameron also said that by doing the full renovation of the General District Court, the city will save an estimated $1.5 million.

Circuit Court Judge Gordon Willis, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge David Peterson and Sheriff Paul Higgs attended the meeting and encouraged the council to go forward with the full renovation of the General District Court.

“I think it would be a mistake for this body not to carry forward, in good faith with the representations that it has made to everyone—all the stakeholders including the court—that we have relied upon,” Willis said to the council.

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