The Dawson County Board of Commissioners, along with county staff and court administrators, will break ground on a new courthouse and government center at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28. The event, orginally scheduled for Jan. 20 was rescheduled late Tuesday afternoon, due to the threat of inclement weather.

Commissioners approved a construction contract last Thursday with Winters Construction in Atlanta, which also built the courthouse in Gilmer County and is constructing Lumpkin County’s new courthouse.

The new courthouse and government center will bring all county offices and the court system under one roof.

Commissioner Mike Connor voted against the $15.4 million contract, which came in at about half the projected construction budget the commission agreed to in 2008.

Dawson County Manager Kevin Tanner said the architects and construction experts working on the project say the $139 per square foot construction price “is the lowest in the state in the past 12 years for a building of this type.”

“Many different individuals have worked tirelessly to bring this project to a reality. This is the official groundbreaking, but the project has been ongoing since 2006,” Tanner said. “We are fortunate due to their hard work during these hard economic times that the construction cost will be half of the original budget.”                                               

Voters approved extending the 1-cent sales tax to fund the project, which will be built adjacent to the existing courthouse on Shoal Creek Road.

“This is a project that’s going to benefit the community and I encourage them to come out and be a part of this historic event,” said Tanner.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held from 2-3 p.m. next Thursday in the overflow parking lot for the Dawson County Courthouse on Shoal Creek Road.

The public is invited to attend.