BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BURLINGTON -- Members of the outgoing Boone County Fiscal Court, who had hoped to recommend this month a firm and a site for the new justice center, instead will let the incoming court decide.
County officials are considering three companies for the project: BBL-Maescher of Covington; Codell Construction Co. of Winchester, Ky.; and Dugan & Meyers Construction Co. of Cincinnati.
"What was going to happen: I'm going to get right into the end of this and then it's time for administrations to change and it gets thrown in their laps anyway," said Judge-executive Larry Burcham. "It's a situation where you have to say, 'Wait a minute, we might as well as just wait and not waste all this time and let them a make a decision that they're going to have to live with.' "
The county has bids from the three companies, but asked each for more information.
"They'll (the new fiscal court) deal with it. Let them put it where they want to put it. I am comfortable with that.
"They are the ones who will see it throughout the fruition. They will be here when we open the new judicial building, and it will be a wonderful facility. We've got about 8 million dollars (for construction)."
Commissioner-elect Cathy H. Flaig said she's glad that outgoing officials will let the incoming fiscal court decide.
But she said, "It's going to be a big challenge. We're not quite sure where it's going to fit in." Dissension among some current fiscal court members may have slowed the project.
"We got that process started, and we have some differences of opinions from some of the commissioners as to how we would do it. So, we agreed that we would bid for a project coordinator, a construction manager, and we did not come to an agreement on an architectural firm," Mr. Burcham said.
Construction likely will begin next year, and completed by mid-2000, Mr. Burcham said. The facility will relieve county officials and judges of crowded conditions at the county administration building and courthouse.
The structure will likely be built between the administration building, which houses the district court offices and courtrooms, and the old county courthouse, which is home to circuit court.
The state has approved a building totaling 37,500 square feet that will house district and circuit courts, as well as judges' offices, clerk of courts offices and space for other court employees.
