Dufferin County has now received a Parkin Architects Ltd. design report for a $6.2- million two-storey addition with basement at the west side of the existing courthouse to house the Provincial Offences Act (POA) courts, among other things.

The addition has been deemed necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Attorney General's ministry and to ensure that the county's provincial offence charges continue to be heard here, among other reasons.

But the proposed design and cost estimate are coming before the council at a time when at least two townships are questioning the efficiency of the Caledonbased POA administration overhead. A July 15 Amaranth motion, supported last week by Melancthon, is calling for an efficiency study.

Councillor John Crowe also noted that POA revenues are steadily declining.

According to the Parkin proposal, the POA courts would be on the ground floor of the new building, including a secure sally port. The county's Building and Public Works departments would be on the second floor.

The cost estimate includes renovations to the existing county administration, treasury and information technology offices as well as to the secure corridors for the courts. There would be a walkway between the second floor of the addition and the existing building.

Parking at the courthouse is now at a premium, especially on days when there's jury selection. The proposal is to extend the parking spaces adjacent to the courthouse westward along Elizabeth St.

According to the report, 229 parking spaces would be available for county employees, police and the public, including the north parking lot and a few on Louisa and Zina streets.

Public Works department would be vacating the 1881 registry office on Zina Street and moving to the new building.

The report says the character of the street will be maintained but is somewhat vague

on how this will be accomplished. There is no mention of the one house the county still owns on Zina.

The report has been more than six months in arriving, following an in camera council meeting last winter at which an ad hoc building committee of Chief Building Official Mike Giles, CAO Linda Dean and councillors John Oosterhof and Lorie Haddock was formed to meet with the architects. (Warden Gordon Montgomery is a member ex officio of all committees.)

At that time, the council was divided on several issues, including the county's ability to pay for a building in the existing economy, and on the need to move forward with sufficient space to accommodate needs for the next decade or more.

Some councillors, as well, were reluctant to continue discussions without having facts spread before them.

"We have to do something or we're in trouble with the court system, so we should have drawings to take forward - some proper drawings done up and some pricing and see where we go from there. We can't decide on what (we have before us)," East Luther Grand Valley Mayor John Oosterhof said at the time.

He added that it would make more sense to do the complete project, of whichever size, at once rather than piecemeal. "I'm not prepared to just support court space without seeing drawings and costs (of a complete project)."

If the council decides to proceed with the proposed project, construction could begin as early as next spring.