The first steps toward a new judicial center in Caldwell County have officially begun, as the Project Development Board held its initial planning meeting Tuesday night.
Back in July, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Debra Hembree Lambert appointed the Project Development Board’s members, comprised of County Judge-Executive Kota Young, Circuit Court Judge Natalie White, District Court Judge Brandon Knoth, Circuit Court Clerk Christie Storm, and attorneys Jill Giordano and Serieta Jaggers. Advisory members also include County Attorney Roy Massey IV, along with representatives from the Office of the Courts.
Judge Young presides as chair of the Board and began the meeting by overseeing the election of Christie Storm as vice chair.
The Board established a regular meeting schedule, planning to convene on the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m.
Young also explained the motion to Request for Proposal to select architectural engineering services for the construction phase of the judicial center project, with the notice to be advertised in both The Paducah Sun and the Times-Leader. Advisor Danny Rhodes, executive director of court facilities at the Administrative Office of the Courts, added that architects will have 30 days from the publication date to submit their proposals.
He explained that after architects submit their electronic proposals, each will be reviewed for completeness, responsiveness, and responsibility before being distributed to the Board for consideration.
The Board approved the motion to issue the Request for Proposal, with Young noting that the advertisement will appear in the newspapers starting next Wednesday.
Judge Young introduced the motion regarding the project delivery method, with Jaggers recommending they use a construction manager rather than a general contractor.
The motion was unanimously approved.
Judge Young also thanked Storm, who volunteered to undertake the Board’s administrative support service duties, a role that would otherwise fall to the project owner.
The Caldwell County Project Development Board will reconvene on November 1 at 6 p.m., as the 30-day deadline for architects’ proposals extends beyond October 1.
The new state-of-the-art judicial center project was approved by the Kentucky General Assembly as part of the Judicial Branch’s biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 to 2026. While Caldwell County will own the new judicial center, construction and maintenance costs will be covered by the Administrative Office of the Courts through the Judicial Branch budget. The project has an estimated price tag of $33.1 million, with full state funding provided through annual debt service payments of up to $2.8 million.
