Judicial center beam-signing marks construction milestone; county told permanent power goal is July

County officials and project staff marked a construction milestone March 3 by signing a structural beam for the new judicial center and received a multi-point update on schedule and work completed.

Project staff said demolition of the old jail is nearly finished, the last expanded concrete floor elements were placed this morning, roof-mounted air-handling equipment was being set and most of the new roof is installed. "We placed the last of the building expansion concrete floor elements," the project representative said, and crews were installing rooftop air-conditioning equipment during the meeting.

Work inside the building is proceeding from the top down: interior metal stud wall framing and gypsum board installation are under way on the upper floors while mechanical systems (hydronic piping, pumps, boilers and heat exchangers) have been set in the basement. A full-scale mockup of a courtroom is being constructed to validate sightlines and is expected to be available for review in April. Staff said permanent electric service to the new judicial center is targeted for July; a new 12-inch water line along Columbus Avenue from Fifth to Sixth Street will be installed this summer to complete utility work.

Officials said the beam-signing is ceremonial but underscores significant progress: windows will begin going in later in March, exterior stone cladding fabrication is underway for a summer installation and site and utility tie-ins continue to be scheduled. County staff indicated work will continue with the existing phasing plan and that the court will be updated as the power and window milestones are reached.