17 days ago
Business comes at a steady beat for the Bibb Music Center in Downtown Macon.
"We have traffic here everyday from the courthouse at lunch or either during a break or whatever," said store manager, Larry Letson.
He says that courthouse flow works in perfect harmony with his store and others downtown, and that losing it would hurt his business. That's why he's keeping tabs on where the county might put its new courthouse.
"Watched it very closely, yes and I'd like to see it, personally, I'd like to see it stay here," said Letson of his wish to see the courthouse remain in the heart of downtown, and he's not alone. Abby Gordon at Jeneane's Cafe says a change in venue could leave fewer people filling the seats at her restaurant.
"If we can get away without having to do a new courthouse and being able to sure some of the buildings we have down here I think it would cost us a lot less money and we'd be just as happy." said Gordon.
Architectural firms Cooper Carey, and Brittain Thompson Bray Brown have explored the pros and cons of upgrading the current courthouse on Mulberry Street, moving to the BB&T building next door, the property off Oglethorpe Street near the county jail, and The Macon Telegraph's property at Broadway and Riverside Drive.
Bibb County Commission Chairman Sam Hart says he plans to look for some key points to help him decide which site to vote for, like size, potential for growth and security.
"We want to make sure again that we have an adequate facility, but by the same token we're concerned about cost. We want to make sure we're getting citizen the best bang for the dollar," said Hart.
He says the board will announce a decision on the new courthouse Thursday morning.
Hart says early estimates from the architectural firms working on the project hit about $85 million. He's hoping that figure will come down, but says he thinks Bibb will need a SPLOST, or penny sales tax, to cover the cost of the new courthouse.
