Carbon County Commissioners Award Law and Justice Center Design Contract
The Law and Justice Center will be the first phase in the redevelopment of the old Cedarwood Villa in Red Lodge
By Denise Rivette
Today the Carbon County Commissioners awarded the contract to design the new Carbon County Law and Justice Center. The commissioners agreed it was a tough decision between three strong candidates. The new facility is planned to be the first phase in redeveloping the old Cedarwood Villa nursing facility into the Carbon County administration campus. There is urgency to move operations out of the old courthouse as soon as possible because the building is in poor condition, operations are cramped and accessibility is limited.
Arete, Collaborative Design Architects and Cushing Terrell competed for the assignment. All three had the necessary experience and expertise, as Commissioner Bill Bullock illustrated when he relayed his discussion with Sheriff Josh McQuillan and Undersheriff Kelly Carrington:
“I did talk with the Sheriff and the Undersheriff this morning to see what their preference is. There was a retired, very informed banker/sheriff that was brought in by Collaborative. There was a very knowledgeable criminologist brought in with Cushing Terrell. And of course, you get experience with Arete. So, not an easy decision.”
Commissioners Scott Blain and Scott Miller also demonstrated the difficulty in the decision as they contributed their thoughts to the delibreration. In the end, it was Cushing Terrell’s experience in Carbon County and Red Lodge that seemed to tip the scale in their favor and Cushing Terrell was awarded the design contract. The contract for the demolition portion of the project will awarded in August.
The timeline for the project will be determined in the coming weeks.
Funding for all phases of the Law and Justice Center is provided through the County’s capital fund savings and grants. No additional taxes or levies will be incurred by the taxpayers for this project.