(Spirit Lake)– Dickinson county officials are breathing a sigh of relief now that a bond issue proposal for a new courthouse has passed muster with the majority of voters.
But County Supervisor Paul Johnson is the first to admit a lot more hard work lies ahead before the new facility can become a reality.
Johnson tells KUOO news the next step is to meet with the county’s bonding attorney to start getting necessary documents drawn up. He says they’ll emphasize the importance of negotiating the best possible interest rates. Johnson says getting the rate below four and-a-half percent could save the county about a half a million dollars in interest costs. And he says getting the bid package put together in a timely fashion could save the county another million dollars, given the favorable bidding climate that currently exists. Johnson says they should be ready for a bidletting early this coming spring with construction starting this coming June, 2004.
The project will be constructed in two phases, with total completion slated for early January, 2006.
It will result in a slight change in the traffic flow in downtown Spirit Lake, as Ithaca Avenue just west of the courthouse will be permanently closed to make way for the project. Buildings housing the County Attorney, Engineering and Planning and Zoning will be razed once the new offices are complete in the new courthouse. Buildings housing the County Assessor and Department of Human Services will be sold once those offices are complete in the new courthouse.
