Smith County Courts Study Approved

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners Tuesday approved engaging the services of HDR Architecture Inc. to conduct a District Courts Feasibility Study for optional strategies to accommodate renovated or new space for the Smith County District Courts. “The last piece of the 2008 Master Plan was to address the Smith County Courthouse and court system space,” County Judge Joel Baker (pictured) said. “That is what this study will do.” The focus of the study is to determine the viability for renovating the existing Carlton Building (the former Smith County Office Building) and associated parking garage to house the District Courts. The study will also estimate the cost for constructing a new facility, according to a county news release.

If it is decided to use the Carlton Building for a portion of the courts system, the existing courthouse would still function as the courthouse. If it is found to be a viable option to move the four district courts into the Carlton Building, the three county courts-at-law would remain in the courthouse, according to the news release.

The courthouse, which opened in 1954, originally housed two district courts and the county court, as well as several county offices. Since then, two district courts and three county courts-at-law have been added and the county court has been relocated to the Annex. “The county has heavily invested in downtown,” Judge Baker said. “It makes sense to determine whether the space we already own can be used for county purposes.”

When county offices occupied the Smith County Office Building, it was not feasible to renovate the space for those offices, Judge Baker said. Since the building has been emptied out and has been on the market, and two contracts to purchase it have fallen through, the Commissioners Court has now determined the location of the building and the attached parking garage could be extremely valuable for future county use, he said. It could also provide secure parking sought by elected officials and court personnel. “We believe this may be our answer to provide better courtroom space for the future in the most economical way,” Judge Baker said.

The feasibility study will be led by Paul Chastant in association with design and engineering professionals experienced in courthouse design. HDR will provide programming and planning concept development services for the District Courts and related departments currently occupying the Smith County Courthouse. These include the district courtrooms, hearing rooms, and associated judicial staff; district attorney; law library; district clerk; jury rooms and associated support spaces; sheriff/security spaces; detention spaces for defendants in custody; information technology; and facility maintenance and building support functions. The study will be conducted in three phases, including Program Verification and Review of Existing Conditions, Conceptual Design and Structural Analysis, and Cost Analysis and Diagrammatic Recommendations.