What Does The Future Hold For The Historic Floyd Courthouse?

The Historic Floyd County Courthouse at 5 Government Plaza is preparing for another chapter in its long life as the Floyd County Commission considers the best use of the building.

The commission recently agreed to spend $56,800 for plans to replace all the windows at the courthouse and make additional repairs to the structure to prevent rain intrusion.

This money will come from a portion of the $5 million approved for renovations at the courthouse and other projects in the 2017 special purpose local option sales tax referendum approved by voters.

“We need to protect the envelope of the building,” County Facilities Manager Ryan Davis said. “And these large windows in the courtroom are very old and dangerous.”

There are around 100 windows in the building. Some of them are original and all need replacement, according to Davis. The $56,800 is simply for a plan to replace the windows, not the cost of replacement and installation, which will be substantially more.

The county is currently in the middle of a significant reorganization driven primarily by a long-deferred expansion of the Floyd County Superior Court.

“It’s a landmarked building,” County Manager Jamie McCord said. “So obviously we’re going to take care of it and restore it as much as we can.”

The building currently holds the offices of the county tax commissioner and tax assessor as well as the motor vehicle tag office, all of which will be moved to what is currently the Law Enforcement Center across the street.

Several county commissioners said they would like to see the historic courtroom used for county commission meetings, as it has been in the past. They also discussed other possible uses for the historic building.

“The biggest hurdle to using the historic courthouse is the possible presence of asbestos and lead paint,” McCord said. “So we really need everyone out of the building to get a good evaluation and clean it up as we can.”

The building will also need updates to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to McCord, and will probably require a new elevator among other changes.

As part of the sales tax distribution negotiation between the city and county in 2022, the county agreed to take over the Law Enforcement Center, which was originally jointly owned by the city and county.

Both Floyd County police and the Rome police agreed to leave the center, with the Rome police moving to a new home on Technology Parkway in April.

The Floyd County Police Department will also be moving to a new headquarters in the former Glenwood Primary School in Armuchee when renovations are completed. A $2.1 million contract for renovations was approved in June and the work should be finished by the end of the year.

The Floyd County Magistrate Court, probate court, juvenile court, the tax commissioner’s office, tax assessor’s office and the motor vehicle tag office will then move into the Law Enforcement Center building.

Renovations will begin in earnest once FCPD vacates for their new headquarters at the former Glenwood Primary School.