Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In the new year, the Chambers County Commission hopes to continue its biggest project of 2024: the renovation of the courthouse at the county seat. 

According to Commission Chairman David Eastridge, the project, which began at the start of the year, is projected to be completed in exactly 12 months, in January. 

The project included renovations to many of the windows, doors and HVAC units in the part of the building that made up the old historic courthouse. One of the smaller courtrooms on the newer side of the building was also remodeled. 

The project will also include new automatic handicap-accessible doors for the public entrance and a renovated security checkpoint. 

The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that was awarded to the county as recovery funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Another project that Eastridge mentioned for the new year will be continuing to work on the county roads. County Engineer Josh Harvill and the highway department have worked throughout 2024 on many paving, striping and grading projects around the county. 

The county also purchased the former law office across the road from the courthouse to use for extra office space. Earlier in the year, the commission accepted a bid from a company to run fiber optic cable between the two buildings to equip it with internet. That project is ongoing. 

Eastridge said that in the new year, the commission plans to come up with plans for the building.

“We’ve got architects to look at it and trying to figure out what’s the best use of it, and how to utilize the most space available for the best use,” Eastridge said. 

Eastridge said that the commission hopes to continue renovations to the county detention center, which underwent roof repairs this year with ARPA funding. The original jail was built in 1950, according to Eastridge, and they hope to eventually build a new facility for the kitchen, laundry and office spaces. However, he said that the project is not likely to happen in 2025.