Courtesy of Montgomery County

This artist's rendering shows the new 102,500-square-foot Montgomery County courthouse to be built on Pepper Street in Christiansburg adjacent to the existing courthouse.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- A Michigan company has been awarded the construction contract for the new Montgomery County courthouse.

The county's supervisors approved the $19 million contract Monday with DeVere Construction Co. of Alpena, Mich. The company also has offices in North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan and Mississippi, according to county information.

Plans call for the 102,500-square-foot facility to be built on Pepper Street in Christiansburg adjacent to the existing courthouse.

The ground-breaking for the project is planned for mid-September, and construction is scheduled for two years. The project is expected to cost $30 million.

DeVere Construction was the successful bidder among 12 companies, said Jack Murphy, with Thompson & Litton, the engineering and architectural firm working on the courthouse project.

The bids ranged from $19 million to $21.8 million, Murphy said.

Prior to bidding, the most recent construction cost estimate was $23.6 million, according to a county news release.

Murphy said his firm researched DeVere Construction and thinks the company is capable of taking on the project and has completed similar types of developments.

The county's project will involve a four-story building and two-story, 137-space parking structure. The new courthouse is designed to meet the county's needs during the next 25 years and will include extensive security features, including secure transfer of inmates from jail to courtrooms.

Also, sustainable and green design features will be included in the project, including a roof garden, according to county information.

The existing courthouse, designed in 1975, will be renovated into a public safety building.

County officials said Monday that they were excited to see the courthouse project moving forward.

Also in the meeting, supervisors welcomed Craig Meadows, the county's new administrator who started Aug. 3.

"Thank you again for the opportunity to be here," Meadows told the supervisors. "It's been a good first week."