Time-Lapse Video: Forsyth County Courthouse & Jail Project

A new jail and courthouse is under construction in Forsyth County. The county broke ground on the new facility last summer at the intersection of Main Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in downtown Cumming.

The courthouse and jail construction projects are funded by the county's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VII program, which was approved by voters in November 2011. 

Both buildings are slated to be complete in December 2014. The new courthouse will be around 158,000 square feet. 

Roughly 120,000 square feet will be finished and the balance of the space will be shelled to provide space that can be finished in the future. That space would be used to add courts and help meet demands associated with future growth. 

The building will have five floors, a basement and will house Superior Court, State Court, Solicitor-General, District Attorney, Clerk of Courts, Court Administration, Grand Jury and Jury Assembly. It will also include an ehnaced security system and "overally improved efficiency," according to the press release. 

Once the new courthosue complete, the county will begin making renovations to the existing courthouse. Coined the Forsyth County Courthouse Annex, it will house Magistrate Court, Probate Court, Pre-Trial Services and Indigent Defense. Renovations are expected to be done in April 2015.

The new jail will be roughly 177,000 square feet with an inmate capacity of 608, and will include three inmate levels plus a support level. 

The jail has also been designed to allow for future expansion to the south. Along with an enhanced security system, the new jail will be built at the maximum security level and will connect to the new courthouse with a bridge to allow for the "secure transport of inmates to court."

Once the new jail is completed, the current jail will be demolished to make way for surface parking. The two new parking facilities in downtown Cumming will also be constructed with sales tax revenue. 

One will be located near the County Administration Building while the second will be located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Castleberry Road and Maple Street. The projected completion date for the parking facilities is late 2014. 

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