Fredericksburg's New Courthouse Begins to Take Shape

Fredericksburg City Council selected First Choice Public-Private Partners, LLC, in November 2011 to design and build a new court facility.  The project cost (contract cost limit) is $31,865,831, according to the contract.

New Courthouse
The new court building will house two courtrooms for the Circuit Court and two courtrooms for the General District Court, according to the city's Courthouse Complex webpage.

"The clerks’ offices for the General District Court and the Circuit Court will be housed in the building, as will the administrative offices for the Sheriff. There will be space dedicated to functions such as secure holding cells, jury assembly, judges’ chambers, conference rooms and building support.

"The gross building area is 78,500 square feet. By contrast, the City’s existing Circuit Courthouse is 13,150 square feet, and the existing Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court is in a building with 21,250 square feet (the Regional Drug Court is also included in this building)."

Renovated General District Court
First Choice will also design and construct major renovations to the existing General District Court building at 615 Princess Anne St.  "After renovation, the existing General District Court building will house the city’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and the clerk of that court. The total building area for the renovated space is approximately 17,400 square feet," the city reports.

Timeline

• Renovate 601 Caroline Street for Interim J&DR Court (March – September 2012) 
• Provide Guaranteed Maximum Price for New Courthouse (November 2012) 
• Approve Final Construction Documents for New Courthouse (January 2013) 
• Substantial Completion New Court Building (April 2014) 
• Provide Guaranteed Maximum Price on GDC Renovation (September 2013) 
• Approval of Final Construction Documents for GDC Renovation (December 2013) 
• Substantial Completion of Renovated General District Court Building (February 2015) 
• Complete Courts Project (March 2015) [Not including the Renwick Building renovation]

Related stories on Fredericksburg Patch

• Divided City Council Won't Finish Fourth Courtroom (July 24, 2012)
• Tonight: Council Reviews Courthouse Project Ahead of Next… (July 24, 2012)
• New Courthouse Will Remain 3 Stories (July 11, 2012)
  
• Fredericksburg Council Has Big Decisions Left On Courthouse (July 11, 2012)
• Fredericksburg Courthouse Project At Milestone Review Mark (June 18, 2012)
• The Courts-Where Should We Go From Here? (June 18, 2012)
• Renwick Can Be Part of Courthouse Project, Parking More… (June 15, 2012)
• Attorney Asks If Courthouse Project Uses Space Wisely (June 13, 2012)
• Local Architect Presents Plan for Renwick Building (June 6, 2012)
• Councilman-Elect Kelly Begins Courthouse Review (May 12, 2012)
• Two Councilmen Vote Against Budget To Protest Courthouse (May 9, 2012)
• Fredericksburg's New Majority To Halt Courthouse Project (May 2, 2012)
• Courthouse Battle Heats Up In Mayoral Race (April 26, 2012)
• Greenlaw Fires Back At Courthouse Critics (April 23, 2012)
• Howe Promises To Halt Courthouse Design (April 6, 2012)
• Let The Discussion Begin--The Courts, An Alternative (April 1, 2012)
• Howe Not Giving Up On Courthouse Battle (March 2, 2012)
• Court Construction Team Scrutinized Over Safety (November 8, 2011)
• Petition Seeks Referendum Vote on Courthouse (November 3, 2011)
• Courthouse Costs Hidden in Plain Sight (October 7, 2011)
• How Much Did Looks Factor Into Courthouse Preference? (September 23, 2011)
• Court Facility Announcement Imminent (September 21, 2011)
• Closed Session Attracts Media Objections (Sept. 14, 2011)
• Council Moves on With Court Selection (June 15, 2011)
• Council Court Debate Boils Down to Location (May 25, 2011)
• Closed Session Cleaves Council Considering Courts (April 13, 2011)
• Closed Meeting for Courthouse Plans Receives Attention (April 11, 2011)
• City Court Presentations Wrap Up, Officials Talk Next Steps (March 17, 2011)
• Public Gets First Look at City Courts Proposals (March 16, 2011)

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