Land has been cleared to make room for the parking deck that will accompany the new justice center that will be built adjacent to the existing courthouse in downtown Carrollton.

Right before the new year, several buildings off Newnan Street -- known informally as the Wiggins and Camp and Dorchester buildings -- were demolished and the land cleared in anticipation of a late-winter ground breaking for the garage. Work on the justice center itself is largely contingent upon completion of the garage, though construction efforts on the two projects may overlap.

Originally scheduled for completion in late June or early July, the deck has experienced several delays in the planning process, likely pushing the ribbon cutting into August, said Mark Smith, project director with Alan Bell Architects in Carrollton. Late additions of parking spaces as well as complications from the weather have contributed to the delay.

At 319 spaces and five levels, the parking deck will be significantly larger than the deck beside the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center on Alabama Street. Though both were designed by Bell, the new garage will feature an assortment of materials not seen in the previous park, most notably cast stone. The parapets will also differ from one to the other, as the new garage was designed to resemble the justice center.

With the design finally set, the bid process has been opened for construction of the garage. It will close on Feb. 17, with a pre-bid conference open to all bidding companies a week earlier. Construction should begin within 10 days after a building contractor is approved by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners.

Once it begins, the streets surrounding the site could become unnavigable. Smith said portions of John Wesley Plaza, off Newnan Street, will be closed, though he expects Newnan Street itself should remain open throughout construction.

As for the justice center, Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Chappell said he hopes bids for construction can be finalized by late spring.

Designed by the joint firm Alex Roush/Gardner, Spencer, Smith, Tench & Jarbeau, the center has also seen delays in recent days rooted in the ultimate size of the project and the budget that’s been outlined by the county. At 40,000 square feet, the cost of the project is approximately $20.2 million to be paid out SPLOST funds.

Chappell said he met with the architects several weeks ago to explain what the center is to accomplish, “which is to make that end of town a centerpiece and ensure all the court functions need to be in that building.”

The firm is now working through the schematic phase of design, which determines where specific departments will be housed in the new building and will ultimately lead to a finalized draft of the blueprints.

“The schematic design can take awhile because you work on it for awhile, look at it and make adjustments, but once we get into construction documents, we’ll be full blast on it,” said Tyson Glore of Alex Roush Architects. “Once we get that done, it’ll be ready to bid and then ready for construction.”

If projected design outlines are any indicator, the new space will be fully capable of housing what’s been a scattered county justice system in past months, with court being held at times in four locations at once.

The center will house the clerk of the court’s office, the records vaults, the Magistrate Court and Probate Court on the first floor. Below that will be inmate holding cells, secured parking for judges and additional space for records.

On the second floor, there will be two state courtrooms, bordered by several judges’ chambers and the solicitor’s office, and above that will be three Superior Court courtrooms, additional judges’ chambers, the district attorney’s office and the grand jury room.

That will leave the current courthouse for mediation and Juvenile Court on the first floor and a jury assembly and arraignment room above that.

“We’re trying to get a lot of use out of the space and keep it in budget, and it all seems to be working right now,” Glore said.