‘Convenience is key’

CRESTVIEW — In downtown Crestview, the construction phase for the new courthouse is expected to be finished by the end of July after weather delays.

The Okaloosa County Courthouse on Main Street is set to be completed by July 31, according to Christopher Saul, the Okaloosa County Public Information Officer.

Ajax Building Corporation has been heading up the construction of the courthouse. Saul said landscaping and irrigation are the current focal point.

Rain caused delays during construction, which pushed back the completion date from the beginning of July to the end.

Although construction may be finished by the end of July, Saul said that it will be October before the courthouse is fully operational.

Between now and then, public works will address a list of damages that took place during construction and finalize items like plumbing and electrical work. Administration is expected to be moved into the building by October, according to Saul.

The courthouse, 50 percent larger than the original, is not alone on Main Street. Businesses line the road around the building.

Kareca Wright, who owns Standard Hair Salon, can watch the construction happening right across the street as she works.

“It looks a whole lot better than what was there before,” Wright said. “I feel good about it. It’s going to look good down on this end.”

One door down, Lorine Johnson, owner of Granny’s Attic, sits down in front of her sewing machine and layers of polka dotted fabric. She isn’t bothered by the construction happening directly in front of her business.

“It makes no difference whatever to me….I keep my back to it most of the time anyhow because I’m sitting at a machine,” Johnson said.

Along with the retail and food businesses on Main Street, the area houses several law firms, whose staff has been driving to the Courthouse Annex Extension in Fort Walton Beach during the construction.

Brian Corlew, an attorney at Chesser and Barr, looks forward to a short walk down the road and the possibility of more clientele seeing his office.

“Really, convenience is the key word for me,” Corlew said. “After that, it comes down to the travel and everything else. It’ll help the clients as well with some cost.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ‘Convenience is key’