Dufferin County’s longawaited courthouse expansion is finally under way, although the only visible progress is a fence along the Zina Street side where a disputed residence has been demolished.

Public Works Director Trevor Lewis said Tuesday the present work is “site preparation,” which will include the removal of a couple of trees and such.

Early Tuesday, an Orangeville resident was searching for officials to determine whether flowers would be destroyed in the process and, if so, whether they would be available for transplanting to her garden.

Because of the conditions of the federal/provincial stimulus grant for the project, there is a deadline for completion of the construction.

Chief Building Official Chief Building Official Mike Giles couldn’t reached for comment but said earlier that work would progressing post haste and the project would be completed within the allotted time frame.

The importance of the project cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Apart from the upper-level governmental funding, the Ministry of the Attorney General had given the county only a few years to meet specifications for courthouse facilities.

One requirement, among others, was that there should be a secure area – a sally port – for the transport of prisoners.

Failing that, local cases under the Provincial Offences Act would have been moved to Caledon or Brampton.

As well, it wasn’t clear whether lower-level Criminal Code charges would be taken south. Now, those are tried at the Ontario Court level in Orangeville for both Dufferin and Caledon and, generally speaking, the Caledon ones would be heard at the Superior Court level while the Dufferin ones would remain here.

The urgency for the county itself might be demonstrated by the resident seeking the flowers. Although familiar with the building in bygone years, the resident appeared confused by the maze of county offices in which part of public works is in the historic registry building, part on the main floor of the 1973 addition, and part at Primrose.

Had the resident looked beyond, the administration is on the third floor while th building department is somewhere up there, and the treasury is somewhere down on the ground floor.

The addition is expected to effect an end to confusion at county and the county courthouse.