The Roanoke Times

File August The existing Montgomery County Courthouse will be converted into a public safety building after construction of the new courthouse is complete.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- After more than 10 years of discussion, construction on a new $30 million Montgomery County Courthouse will start in September, according to a plan presented Tuesday night to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.

The board approved a recommendation to start competitive bidding for the construction contract June 7 as part of a plan presented by Jack Murphy, project manager from Thompson & Litton, the engineering and architectural firm in charge of the project.

The plan calls for a five-week construction bidding process before construction starts Sept. 16.

Murphy noted bidding typically lasts only four weeks, but because of the July 4 holiday and "scale and complexity of the project," Thompson & Litton recommended a longer period.

Plans call for a 98,500-square-foot facility to be built adjacent to Pepper Street in Christiansburg near the existing courthouse.

Thompson & Litton has been working with Montgomery County since being commissioned by the board of supervisors to provide preliminary designs in 2006. The county has been talking about the need for more courtroom space since 1998.

The master plan for the courthouse splits construction into two phases. The first phase focuses on the building the courthouse and parking structure, while the second phase would convert the existing courthouse into a public safety building.

A 137-space, two-story parking structure would also be built during phase one, along with an underground tunnel to provide a secure way to transport inmates from the Montgomery County Jail to the facility.

The price tag for the new facility currently stands at $30.2 million, down from the $31.1 million projected earlier this year because bids for fixtures and audiovisual equipment have been moved to a separate bid package.

Those bids would come in late 2010, Murphy said, to ensure the most up-to-date equipment will be installed.

Under the current plan, the new courthouse would be complete in August 2011.

Members of the board expressed excitement with the project's move forward.

"We've talked about it so long, it's worth waiting for," said Annette Perkins, the board's chairwoman.

During supervisor reports, the board also discussed current initiatives for a county-sponsored plan to control feral cat populations.

A study is under way to discuss the feasibility of opening a spay and neuter clinic that charges on a sliding scale, said Assistant County Administrator Carol Edmonds.

Depending on the availability of funding and a space for the clinic, it could be open within four to eight months, Edmonds said.