By JAYMIE BAXLEY, Insider Reporter
The need for an improved courthouse in Moore County became apparent to Superior Court Judge James Webb after a disabled man crawled up two flights of stairs to report for jury duty.
It was September 2013, and the only elevator to the facility’s second floor was restricted for courthouse personnel. While an exception might have been made for the man, his impaired speech made it difficult to ask the security guard at the building’s entrance for assistance.
Studies conducted years earlier had revealed accessibility issues at the courthouse, but learning that a juror “literally crawled up this main staircase into the courtroom” was the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” according to Webb.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “We can do better than that. We can’t have people with disabilities not have access to the courthouse.”
The incident helped set into motion the events that led to the March 15 groundbreaking for a new courts facility in downtown Carthage. Webb was one of several officials who spoke during the ceremony, which he called the “culmination of the efforts of so many people.”
One of those people was county Commissioner Catherine Graham, a former clerk of court who chaired the advisory committee for the new courthouse. Addressing an audience of dignitaries and government employees gathered near the downtown traffic circle, Graham said the $53.1 million project “has been a long time coming.”
“It has been a long and tedious process, but today we celebrate the building of a courthouse that will be safe and adequate for citizens for years to come,” she said.
Construction of the 123,000-square-foot courthouse is being funded through limited obligation bonds approved by county commissioners in June. It will be connected to the existing, 47,000-square-foot courts facility, which is being renovated to accommodate probation officers, jurors and members of the district attorney’s office.
“While it’s designed to last and be something our citizens will be proud of, it’s also designed for efficiency and with the taxpayer in mind,” said Frank Quis, chairman of the Moore County Board of Commissioners. “The repurposing of our existing courthouse will provide a tremendous value for the taxpayers.”
New Atlantic Contracting Inc., a company based in Winston-Salem, has been hired to oversee the new facility’s construction. The company’s crews could be seen working at the future site of the four-story building while the ceremony was underway.
“When we first met with the architects, we said we want this facility to be beautiful, we want it to be safe, we want it to be efficient and we want it to last a long time,” said Wayne Vest, manager of Moore County. “And I truly believe with our team and everybody that’s been part of this process, that is exactly what we’ll have when we do the ribbon cutting.”
The project is expected to take at least two years to complete, a timeline that could be stretched out further by global supply-chain shortages.
“It’s not a sprint,” Vest said. “It’s a long, uphill jog, but we’re getting there. And we’re going to get there slowly, smoothly and with quality.”
Jaymie Baxley can be reached at (910) 693-2484 or jaymie@thepilot.com
