On schedule

The government center complex project is on schedule, or close to it, said Mark Shireman of Shireman Inc., the construction manager of the project.
The two former medical office buildings, which will house the health department and Purdue Extension, will be ready for occupation by mid-to-late October or early November, if all goes according to plan, Shireman said during a report Sept. 7 to the Harrison County Board of Commissioners.
He said the geothermal heating system is in place and working.
‘We’re in good shape, budget-wise,’ he said. ‘Our contingency is still intact.’
The main government center, which will house the bulk of the government offices, is slated to be open for business by early 2011.
Shireman gives a monthly update to the board of commissioners.
The entire renovation and remodeling project was initiated when RQAW Corp. (Indianapolis), the architect of the project, conducted a space-needs study in 2007 for county government and determined county offices needed a significant increase in work and storage room. In a measurement of quality, adequate space for staff, the county scored 4.5 on a 10-point scale. Representatives of RQAW initially recommended constructing new buildings at specific sites to satisfy the space issue, but, after an unsuccessful attempt to sale the old hospital campus property along Atwood Street, the board of commissioners and RQAW decided it could be remodeled into a government complex. The oldest wing of the hospital was demolished.
The downtown courthouse will still be used, but the county council and board of commissioners will meet in a new room at the government facility.
The project is estimated on the low end to cost $13 million.
The county also renovated the courthouse in downtown Corydon in 2000 for about $4 million. It also was coordinated by RQAW.