The Judicial Center PDB (Project Development Board) held its regular meeting Friday, March 18, with five of six board members on hand. The board continued to deal with property appraisals during the session.

Among the key points of the meeting was the fact that one of the previous three appraised locations may not be available, with another being that a former property that was submitted was added back into the mix of possible site locations for a Justice Center.

At last Friday morning’s meeting, members of the Foothills Festival Committee were on hand–and although the board took no official action on the matter–the Foothills members stated they wished to “withdraw” the Foothills Festival Welcome Center site from consideration.

The Foothills Welcome Center, on the northwest side across from the Clinton County Courthouse, was one of several buildings on that block that had been appraised earlier.

The board, however, did vote unanimously (with District Judge Mike Lawson abstaining) to move forward, or accept the appraisals as received.

The PDB also voted to approve a $10,000 disbursement to Childers Financial Services for the appraisal cost on the three sites that were considered.

The board then entered into a closed session on the possible property acquisition issue, with no action being taken at this time.

Following the executive session, the board voted unanimously to move forward in getting an appraisal on Site 2, the McWhorter/Ferguson property and on a separate motion, voted to authorize the executive committee to hire an appraiser for that location.

The McWhorter/Ferguson site was one of several original locations that was submitted to the board at the onset of the property selection process.

With no further items of business on the agenda, the meeting was adjourned.

The next regular meeting of the Judicial Center’s Project Development Board is scheduled for Friday, April 15, at 8 a.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the courthouse and will be open to the general public.