The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners has awarded a $398,800 contract to Piper O’Brien Herr Architects to develop a long-term master plan for the county courthouse in Canton, as well as design a parking deck and renovations to the building.
“Population and court cases have grown significantly since both the Justice Center opened and Historic Courthouse was renovated in 1994,” according to a staff report to commissioners. “As a result, a new master plan will be developed to provide a coordinated long-term plan to meet the needs of the judicial system’s multiple stakeholders.”
“This, in the long term, will be to add substantially more courthouse space,” County Board Chairman Harry Johnston told commissioners. “When that building was built some 25 years ago, it was intended to meet the county’s needs for about 25 years. Well, 25 years have come and gone, and the courthouse is basically bursting at the seams.”
Design work is expected to be completed in September, with parking deck construction beginning as early as November, staff said.
