Parish president seeks roughly $4 million to complete courthouse security and courtroom

Parish President John Salter told the Natchitoches Parish Council on June 26 that the courthouse security project — as originally bid and started — did not include a completed courtroom and that the parish is seeking roughly $4 million in additional funding to finish the job.

"We're trying to come up with another $4,000,000 to get that done, have a courtroom," Salter said, describing discussions with judges, the district attorney and the courthouse project architect. He said the parish is pursuing state and federal capital outlay and meeting with representatives in Baton Rouge to identify potential funding sources. Salter added that the full construction timeline was estimated at about 18 months with weather and other delays stretching it closer to 24 months, and that architects had agreed to make some changes to footings and low-bearing walls to reduce costs.

Councilors did not vote on new funding at the meeting; Salter said the parish has begun outreach to senators and representatives and will include capital outlay requests in upcoming cycles. He also observed that the historic old courthouse may be listed on the federal register while the newer building likely is not, a distinction he said may affect funding options.

The council asked staff to continue conversations with the architect and legislators and to return with options for securing the additional funds needed to complete the courtroom and security upgrades.