BENTONVILLE -- Benton County Circuit Judge Christine Horwart soon will change courtrooms.
Horwart is moving from her courtroom in the Benton County Courthouse to the Quorum Court room on the third floor of the Benton County Administration Building. She will start holding court in the building Monday.
Her court has to move so the county can finish the courthouse expansion project. Her current courtroom was meant to be temporary. It will be renovated into office space.
Construction began Feb. 1 on a $3.1 million expansion to add 5,500 square feet to the 28,000-square-foot courthouse and to provide a new courtroom for Horwart, who became the county's seventh circuit judge in January.
Horwart's courtroom and office will be on the second floor of the addition. A lobby will be on the first floor. Horwart should be in the new building by Jan. 1, according to Benton County Judge Barry Moehring.
The county is financing the project with a loan from Regions Bank for five years at 1.59% with no prepayment penalty, Brenda Peacock, county comptroller, previously said.
"It's going to be really nice, really workable and state of the art," Horwart said of her courtroom once the expansion is completed.
The expansion project includes a room for lawyers, along with two rooms where attorneys can meet with their clients. A holding cell and law library are also included in the expansion.
Horwart said the project also benefits the other judges because attorneys in their courtrooms can use the meeting rooms and deputies can use the new holding cell instead of having to put people in the one on the third floor.
Bryan Beeson, county facilities administrator, said demolition will begin Sept. 27 on Horwart's current courtroom. It will be renovated into space for the law library, a lawyers' lounge and office space for two of Horwart's staff members.
Beeson expects that phase of the project to be completed by the end of October. Horwart and her staff will then use that area for their office space while the county renovates Horwart's chambers and other office space.
Horwart and Beeson don't expect any conflicts between her using the Quorum Court room and any county meetings that normally occur there. Beeson said county meetings mainly take place when the courthouse is closed.
Beeson said it will be easy to transform the area to a courtroom for Horwart. The areas where the justices of the peace sit are movable, and the plan is to bring tables from Horwart's court for the attorneys.
The information technology department had to make some changes to allow Horwart to use her computer where she will sit. She will be seated where Moehring usually sits during meetings.