LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) —Lee County is moving forward with plans to expand its historic courthouse, which was built in 1918.

The Lee County Courthouse on Leslie Highway currently has only one courtroom, which is accessible only by stairs.

Accessibility concerns

“It’s been an issue for years, you know, with older buildings like that, that were built that way,” said Scott Addison, Lee County manager. “And we saw this as an excellent opportunity to enhance our current courtroom so that we could provide the service for citizens and make it more accessible.”

The expansion has a price tag of about $4.4 million, funded through SPLOST eight funds. The plan calls for adding an elevator and bathrooms to the existing courthouse. It also includes an 8,000-square-foot annex connecting to the back of the building, which will include a second courtroom.

The annex will be built on the site of a storage building. That building will be demolished.

“Our architectural firm has completed the full set of construction plans,” Addison said. “So now we’re working on permitting and utility relocation so that we can start the project.”

Judge’s role in planning

Southwestern Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge W. James Sizemore Jr. has been involved in the process, helping county leaders determine what the courthouse needs and which improvements should be prioritized.

“It’s really something that I probably should have. I mean, I wish I had done earlier,” Sizemore said. “We can only try one case at a time. So that’s one thing. And that has over the years caused us to not be as quick to get some cases tried as we’d like to.”

For people who could not access the courtroom because of the stairs, Sizemore said he had to find alternative solutions.

“We built a smaller courtroom in a room on the first floor of the court courthouse that’s smaller that has a jury box and some seating,” Sizemore said. “It’s a very tiny room, but we’ve been able to use it to. For example, I had a trial where I just brought the jury down to that courtroom so that we could hear from a witness who could not get up the stairs.”

Looking ahead

Sizemore said that even though he will soon take senior judge status and will not use the courthouse as often, he believes anyone who has served — or will serve — on a jury will appreciate the upgrades.

“Many, many jurors have come and been very patient with, for example, restroom breaks and the stairs,” Sizemore said. “And I think anybody who has ever served on jury duty in Lee County will see that it’s going to be a great, great addition. And I think it’ll serve us for years to come.”

Addison said he believes the project will be completed within the next year.

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