Demolition is expected to begin next week Renovations of the County Courthouse continue into 2012 and will gain momentum in the coming months. Scaffolding has recently been erected and webs the face of the Courthouse. Sections are also missing from certain areas of the structure. This is all part of an extensive renovation and construction project. Initiated last year, the project will result in refurbishment of the marble on the front of the building and an addition to the existing structure on the east or rear of the Courthouse.

The scaffolding and missing pieces are part of the early phase of the project. In this stage, the marble will be removed in 20-foot sections and sent to Nelson to be cleaned or refurbished and, when complete, brought back and refastened on the building. Before being replaced, though, Crystal Marble Company, the contractors doing the work, will replace the steel-foundations. Pickens Public Relations and Information Director Norman Pope told FYN today that the foundations, which hold the marble sections to the structure, have deteriorated over time and need to be replaced. In November, the County awarded Crystal Marble Company to complete this part of the project. The company’s accepted bid was $535,027.

Pope also said that the next phase of the project, the demolition of the east or rear wing, is expected to begin next week or soon after. The county awarded the contract for this part of the project to D.H. Griffin Wrecking Inc. for $148,300. According to Pope, Griffin will only complete the demolition part of the Courthouse Project. After the demolition, bids will be sent out for the construction of the new addition, which will house judicial officials and their staff. Currently, these officials work of the annex, formally the old post office. Pope said the judicial officials will work out of the annex for the next two years. He also said that requests for proposals for the construction of the new addition will go out in two to four weeks, with a potential bid in early April.

Watch the progress of the Courthouse Below.