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Project manager says new Duke Courthouse and animal shelter are progressing; structural steel set for mid-April
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Summary
PJ Air project manager Matt Brown told the board concrete foundations and walls for the new Duke Courthouse are complete, underground work is nearly done, structural steel erection is scheduled the week of April 13, and animal shelter finishes (storefront, kennels, mechanical systems) remain to be completed.
Matt Brown, project manager for PJ Air, gave the board a construction update on the new Duke Courthouse and the county’s animal-control shelter.
Brown said drone footage shows concrete foundations and walls in place and that elevator and stair shafts are complete. “So those are fully grounded… a 100% complete,” he said, describing the foundations and shafts. Brown said the contractor expects to place slab-on-grade concrete once underground plumbing and electrical are finished, and that the week of April 13 will begin setting structural steel from the basement level upward.
On the courthouse-to-jail connection, Brown said the tunnel that will connect to the jail is scheduled for late summer, but work must follow sequencing steps—backfill and routing new sanitary/storm lines—before tunnel work begins.
Brown also provided a progress update on the animal control building. He said the site is nearly complete, exterior storefronts will be installed late in the schedule to avoid damage, covered outdoor kennel areas with guillotine-style kennel doors will allow animals to move between indoor and outdoor areas, and mechanical and airflow systems are sized to reduce disease risk.
Why it matters: the courthouse and animal shelter are major capital projects with public-safety and service-delivery implications; timelines and sequencing affect when jail connections and shelter operations can start.
No formal votes or contract approvals were taken at the meeting; Brown invited questions from board members about sequencing and schedule.
