by

Jeff Jellison

Publisher

Hamilton County Reporter

On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Council received an update from Garmong Construction Services on the construction schedule and overall cost of a new county-owned parking garage schedule to be built at 8th and Clinton streets in Noblesville.

Current construction plans call for a four-story structure; however, after Wednesday’s meeting, council members will now consider altering those plans and building a five-story garage.

During the meeting, Hamilton County Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Steve Wood described the need for the five-story structure was due to the increasingly high volume of court cases at the Judicial Center.

The four-story structure was approved last year by council members at a cost of $9.5 million. The cost for the fifth story would add an additional $2 million dollars to the project.

The council will use $4.5 million received from the recent sale of the county parking lot located just south of the Judicial Center to offset the cost of the project.

The location of the new garage currently serves as a parking lot for county employees. Those spaces would be lost during construction of the garage. County officials say they are looking at nearby alternate sites for employee parking.

“We are considering a couple locations for employee parking,” Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt told the Reporter. “Both would require shuttle service to transport employees to the Judicial Center and the Historic Courthouse.”

Wood said he is working with Noblesville Schools and the Noblesville Boys & Girls Club to provide the employee shuttle service.

Construction on the new garage is expected to begin early this summer.

The council is expected to vote on the new proposal at its March meeting.