To better serve the needs of residents in Chilton County, construction crews are building a 72,000-sq.-ft. courthouse on Alabama Highway 145.
The project will include licensing and administrative offices, support areas and courtrooms with a double wall system designed for optimal sound attenuation.
“The existing courthouse has become a money pit,” said Allen Williams, Chilton County Commission chairman. “Due to its age, the annual upkeep and repairs have become unreasonable. Added to that are the requirements on the county to provide office space, accommodations and courtrooms for two new circuit judges.”
Williams said the existing structure was built in the early 1960s and is not properly equipped to serve people with disabilities.
“Not only will the new courthouse provide ADA compliant access, it will once again house all county government offices, including our VA office,” he said. “I’m elated that for the first time in 40 years, our citizens will be able to conduct all county business at one location.”
Located just south of Jefferson State Community College, the project includes construction of highway access and has been a long time in the making.
“The construction of a new courthouse had been kicked around for years with no action,” said Williams. “Shortly after being elected, I arranged interviews with six architectural firms. From those interviews sprang the feet for the building project.
“We budgeted $32 million,” he added. “The city of Clanton worked with the commission and established a Public Building Authority (PBA) for the project. By utilizing a PBA, we can bypass the bid requirements and utilize a design-build concept. This process will possibly save taxpayers $2 million, versus the bid process. It will also cut the build time by as much as six to eight months.”
Williams noted that reaction from the public has been mixed.
“Many taxpayers were initially upset the county was spending this sum of money for a courthouse, instead of using it for road repair. Now, it appears the public is accepting the fact that a new courthouse is a must.”
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Contractor Thrives With Help of Compact Equipment
Andrew Young retired from the U.S. military after a 20-year career. Upon retiring, he made a list of what he wanted his life to look like after he left the military. At the top of his list was to be his own boss.
Young started Chief Excavation and Landscaping (CEAL) in Huntsville, Ala., seven years ago. He intentionally keeps his business small as an owneroperator.
“After being in the military for 20 years and answering to people, as well as being responsible for large divisions of people, I am very happy to just manage myself and not have to try and convince somebody else that my ideas are good,” said Young.
Also, near the top of his list is to spend as much time with his family as possible, including summers with his three children when they aren’t in school.
“Having any kind of service business, especially in the green industry and taking summers off, that’s an anomaly,” Young said. “I work maybe 140 days a year, and I’m very happy with that.”
Small, Medium-Sized Jobs
Young started his contracting business like many other small businesses: with a pickup truck, trailer, a compact track loader and attachments. He gained on-the-job experience doing work for a local concrete company pouring new driveways.
Today, Young operates a variety of compact equipment and attachments on his job sites, including residential and commercial landscaping projects. He operates a compact track loader to perform his everyday tasks like excavating, grading, lifting and moving materials and backfilling.
As Young established himself as a professional contractor with a strong reputation on getting the job done right, his customers started asking him to take on larger projects like land-clearing tasks.
“I had been getting calls saying, ‘Hey, do y’all do any land clearing?’ and I would recommend somebody else in my network,” he said. “But I got to the point where some machines were paid off, and I had the bandwidth to do it. I thought, ‘Well, this is as good as any time to do it.’”
He needed a larger compact track loader with more horsepower to use a forestry mulching attachment for shredding and clearing vegetation, including trees, brush and other wood material. Cutting blades made of hardened steel easily shred the vegetation and turn it into mulch.
“We’re getting into forestry mulching and looking at all the local brands that we could use,” said Young.
During his research, he discovered that Doosan Infracore began offering compact track loaders and mini-excavators when they rebranded as DEVELON.
“As y’all know, good customer service from your construction equipment dealership is important to any business that needs regular service and maintenance,” he said.
That led him to a local dealer — R&M Equipment Rentals — where he purchased a new DEVELON DTL35 compact track loader. The large-frame, vertical-lift-path compact track loader has 115.3 hp, making it an ideal machine for land clearing.
In addition, the DTL35 compact track loader comes standard with auxiliary high-flow hydraulics and an impact-resistant polycarbonate door, providing power and enhanced durability. The high-flow hydraulics power the attachment motor and achieve optimal performance when clearing vegetation.
Skill Development
In addition to his hands-on experience working on job sites, Young said serving in the military for 20 years taught him numerous soft skills and the confidence to learn new skills like construction.
“I can learn something new and master it rather quickly with ease,” he said. “That comes with the skills that you learn in the military.”
Young follows straightforward advice when it comes to working with customers in this industry: Answer the phone, be polite, show up when you say you’re going to show up and do the job well.
He recently had his daughter Bella join him on a mulch refresh project for a homeowner. It’s an example of how he’s passing on his expertise and a sense of responsibility to the next generation.
DEVELON photo
Andrew Young operates a compact track loader to perform his everyday tasks like excavating, grading, lifting and moving materials and backfilling.
Courthouse Crew Focuses On Grading, Utility Installation
COURTHOUSE from page 1
An official groundbreaking for the long-awaited project was held in October 2024. The ceremony took place across from the site of the new facility. Gov. Ivey and other state officials were in attendance, along with representatives for general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie and Birchfield Penuel Architects.
“The building will feature two above-ground floors, as well as one level below grade,” said Williams. “I believe this new courthouse will allow our citizens to spend less time attending to necessary business with county offices. One can buy their car tag, then walk across the hall and renew their driver’s license. At present, those two offices are a block away in different buildings.
“The new courthouse is an accomplishment that I’m extremely proud to have played a small part in,” he added. “I’m convinced a new courthouse will not only be a help to the public, but it will save county dollars in the long run.”
According to Martin Snook, Brasfield & Gorrie Project Manager, one of the most significant challenges for crews has been providing water to the site.
“The water and sewer main lines are located on the opposite side of a state highway,” he said. “To address this, the site contractor must jack and bore beneath the road to connect to both utility lines, which requires extensive coordination with the site contractor, civil engineer and various local and state entities.”
Currently, crews are engaged in fine grading the site, installing site utilities such as sanitary sewer, stormwater and domestic water systems and have started forming, reinforcing and pouring the spread and continuous footings for the building.
“The entire site spans 13 acres, requiring a comprehensive mass grading, while the building pad and surrounding parking areas cover approximately four acres,” said Snook. “Significant excavation was necessary, including a 12-foot dig for the basement, to achieve the appropriate grades.”
Heavy equipment on site includes a Caterpillar D5K dozer; a Caterpillar D6RXL dozer; a Komatsu D71 dozer; a Komatsu D37 PX-23 dozer; a Komatsu D51 PXI-24 small crawler dozer; a Komatsu D61 PX1-24 GPS dozer; a Komatsu PC138 excavator; and a Komatsu PC210LC-11 excavator.
A Komatsu 238-11 excavator also is being used, along
Currently, crews are engaged in fine grading the site, installing site utilities such as sanitary sewer, stormwater and domestic water systems and have started forming, reinforcing and pouring the spread and continuous footings for the building.
Although rain and snow have caused some delays, the weather has not been a significant issue for crews. The high sand content in the soil facilitated quicker-thanexpected drying.
with a Komatsu 360LC-11 excavator; a Komatsu PC88-10 excavator; a Komatsu GD530A motor grader; a Komatsu 300 excavator; a Hamm H11i pad foot; a Hamm H7i smooth drum; a Komatsu WA270-7 loader; and a Caterpillar 289-D skid steer.
The project’s frame is composed of structural steel, with the exterior featuring a combination of exterior insulation and finish system, insulated glass fiber reinforced concrete, brick and both thermoplastic polyolefin and standing seam metal roofing.
Snook said there was significantly more topsoil on the site than the geotechnical report indicated, so the soil has been stockpiled for future use by the county. Also, an existing well on the site required demolition. The contractor excavated the well, incorporated bentonite, sealed it with concrete and then backfilled with soil and compacted it.
Although rain and snow have caused some delays, the weather has not been a significant issue for crews. The high sand content in the soil facilitated quicker-than-expected drying.
Over the course of the project, approximately 89,000 cu. yds. of dirt will be moved. The interior build-out will be the most time-consuming aspect, because of the numerous smaller rooms required for county agencies on the first floor.
The new courthouse should be completed in 2026. Snook said Brasfield & Gorrie’s experience in government construction can’t be overstated.
“Our federal division has proven invaluable, providing expertise and guidance to the architect, preconstruction team and project members on milestones and potential challenges,” he said.
He also called it a privilege to be involved in something that will be a cornerstone and source of pride for Chilton County.
“This project is a promising investment in its people and future success. For the past six decades, Brasfield & Gorrie has been dedicated to building strong communities. Our ability to leverage our expertise for Chilton County’s benefit underscores this dedication, particularly in a community that so many of our employees and trade partners call home.” CEG
(All photos courtesy of Brasfield & Gorrie.)
To better serve the needs of residents in Chilton County, construction crews are building a 72,000 sq. ft. courthouse on Alabama Highway 145.
The entire site spans 13 acres, requiring a comprehensive mass grading.
