FRANKLIN COUNTY — The Franklin County Board approved seeking an architect to design the new $18 million Franklin County Courthouse on the Benton Square at Tuesday night’s meeting.

County Board Chairman Randall Crocker says they will be advertising for an architect in the local papers starting this week. He says they will be looking for a firm that has the experience in building this kind of facility and if they have the adequate personnel to complete their part of the project in a timely fashion. The goal, Crocker says, is to find as many local people as possible for this project. Another goal is for the exterior of the new courthouse to look like an image of the courthouse the county shared earlier this year.

A local architect is now working with county officials on the planning and design for the renovation at the Campbell Building where the County Treasurer and County Clerk offices are going. As for the Courts and Circuit Clerk’s Office, Crocker says the original plan was for them to move temporarily to the former antique store on the east side of the Square until the new courthouse is finished.

Crocker says the goal is to have everyone out of the courthouse and into the renovated Campbell Building by Nov. 1. Demolition will soon start after that with construction of the new courthouse beginning in the spring of 2020. It will take 12 to 14 months to build the new facility, with hopes of it opening in the spring of 2021 according to Crocker.

As for the one percent sales tax voters approved in the April election that will generate revenue for courthouse construction and nothing else, Crocker says it will go into effect July 1.

The sales tax will sunset when the courthouse is paid off.